Enchanted
by Charlie'sLostVampire
Summary: So, I was rewatching Disney's "Enchanted" a few days ago, and it inspired me to start writing this! Basically, it's the same storyline from Enchanted, but with a TVD twist. Enjoy, and please remember to review!
1. Meeting Prince Charming

_**Note: This is a story purely written for fun; I kind of stole the plot line of Disney's "Enchanted" and gave it a Vampire Diaries twist. A few changes have been made character wise, though; first off, I had to change Stefan's last name from Salvatore to Edwards (Edward being the prince's name in "Enchanted") because he and Damon are not brothers in this story. Secondly, Katherine is not a vampire in this story; she's a witch. Not a TVD witch, though; your classic fairy tale "I can turn into stuff!" kind of witch. Yes, she still looks like Elena, but I haven't quite figured out how that's going to work in this story… I'll let you know when I do. :P Also, the name of the town "Fell's Church" is taken from L.J. Smith's novels "The Vampire Diaries" where the town was not known as Mystic Falls. Hmm… I think that's about it. If I forgot to mention anything and you get confused, send me a message and I'll be more than happy to clear things up. Other than that, enjoy! ~Charlie'sLostVampire**_

Elena Gilbert was your average nineteen year old girl. Fresh out of high school, she was the perfect girl and the object of desire for most of the boys in Fell's Church. Of course, Elena was beautiful; she had perfect dark brown hair, with eyes that matched and complimented it perfectly. She also had the elegant features of what her mother had always told her was royalty, because of her high cheekbones, dainty nose, naturally perfect arched eyebrows, and soft, pink lips. Yes, Elena Gilbert's life was perfect… and then it wasn't, at the same time.

Three years ago, when she was sixteen, both of her parents had tragically died in a car accident, leaving her and her younger brother, Jeremy, to fend for themselves. Of course, this wasn't a problem for Elena once she got past the terrible grief she felt. She was determined to take care of Jeremy, and make their lives just as they were. Yes, she was aware that it would never quite be the same without her beloved mother and father, but a part of her wanted to believe that everything was going to be okay.

In truth, only one thing kept Elena pressing on. One thing in her life she dreamed of more than anything was finding true love. Meeting that one boy who complimented her perfectly and was everything she had ever dreamed of. Sweet, kind, funny, and, although he didn't have to be, Elena secretly hoped he would be attractive. After all; when was the last time you read about an ugly prince charming?

Well, that day had finally come. The day when all of Elena's dreams would come true; the day that Stefan Edwards moved to Fell's Church. He was everything she had dreamed her prince charming would be. He was handsome, with soft brown curls and hazel eyes, and very, very sweet. She bumped into him for the first time while on her way to work at the local library. He had been walking down the street, enjoying the scenery when she plowed into him, a pile of books in hand.

"Oh!" she gasped in shock, dropping them all at their feet.

"I am so sorry…" Stefan apologized, bending down to help her retrieve them.

"No, no, it's fine, really…" she glanced up and her eyes widened. She didn't recognize him.

"A great way to make a first impression in a new town; plow down pretty girls and make them drop their…" he raised an eyebrow. "Electro physics books."

Elena blushed, smiling. "I work at the library. I was just bringing over a few books the school donated…"

"Ah." Stefan nodded. "Makes sense. Well, I really am terrible sorry Miss…?"

She smiled as they stood up. "Elena. I'm Elena Gilbert."

"Elena Gilbert." He repeated, smiling. "Well, Elena, could you use a hand carrying those books? I wouldn't mind seeing this library for myself."

Elena smiled. "Sure. Thanks…?"

"Oh," Stefan laughed. "How rude of me… I'm Stefan Edwards. I just moved to Virginia from Washington."

"The capital." Elena observed, nodding appreciatively as she passed him a few of her books. "I always liked all of the fancy monuments there when my parents took me and my brother."

"Oh… I'm not really from D.C. I lived in a smaller town a few cities away."

"Huh." Elena nodded as they walked. "So, you're a small towner, too, then?"

He laughed. "You could call it that."

The pair continued to talk as they made their way to the library, and they didn't reach the uncomfortable topic of parental figures until they were making their way up the steps. "So, your parents must be really proud of you working this hard." Stefan said as he held the door open for her. Elena's smile slipped. "Um… no, actually. I like to think they would be, but they… died in a car accident a few years ago. It's just me and my little brother now."

Stefan's eyes widened. "Oh, gosh; I'm sorry, Elena…"

"No, no; it's okay. You didn't know."

"I know how you feel, though; my mom died when I was little, and my dad just passed away a few months ago. That's actually why I moved here. To get a fresh start and all."

"I wish I could have done that… I couldn't leave Jeremy, though; all we have is each other."

Stefan's watch beeped and he glanced down at the time. "Shoot; three thirty. I have to go meet the moving truck at my new place, but… I would really like to see you again."

Elena smiled at him. "I'd like to see you again, too. Actually, there's this really cute little café on main street I could meet you at later tonight; it's impossible to miss."

"Really? Why is that?"

"Well…" Elena grinned. "It's sort of the only restaurant in town."

"Oh." Stefan laughed. "The café it is then. What time should I meet you?"

"How's seven for you?"

"Seven sounds perfect." Stefan smiled. "It was great meeting you, Elena." He bent down and kissed her hand, and she giggled. "It was great meeting you too, Stefan. Seven, then?"

He nodded as he placed his stack of books beside hers on the library counter. "Seven."

"Bye!" Elena called after him as he rushed out the door to get home. He waved at her through the front window before rushing off.

Elena giggled and leaned against one of the book cases; she was fairly certain she had just finally met her prince charming.

VvvvV

Jeremy raised an eyebrow when his sister entered the house, humming a tune to herself that evening. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

Elena giggled. "Love."

Jeremy frowned. Unlike Elena, he didn't believe in "true love" and "love at first sight" and all that mumbo jumbo. If he was being honest, Elena's obsession with it worried him sometimes. What if she "fell in love" with the wrong guy, and he totally took advantage of her… very obvious innocence? "Love, huh?" he asked, following her as she danced around the kitchen, tidying up Jeremy's mess; he was never big on cleaning.

"Yep. I met him today on my way to work. We're going to meet again tonight at the Café at seven."

Jeremy was still frowning. "Who is this guy, anyway?"

She giggled. "Stefan Edwards. He just moved to town, and I sort of ran into him with my books. He helped me pick them up, and then offered to carry some of them to the library for me." She sighed. "He was such a gentleman… and handsome, too."

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "He's new?"

She nodded. "He had to go meet the moving truck at his house this morning. My guess is he just arrived."

"Huh." Jeremy nodded. "So… I take it I'm ordering take out tonight, then?"

"You guess right." Elena grinned, "Less dishes for me when I get home that way, too."

"Cool. I'm going to go upstairs and find a half decent place to order from…" he said, rushing up to his room before she could object.

Obviously, he wasn't looking up takeout joints. He planned on getting every scrap of information on this Stefan Edwards guy that he possibly could before seven o'clock tonight; starting with where he lived. That part should be easy; hardly anyone ever moved into Fell's Church, so the latest sold home would obviously be his new house.

VvvvV

"Jer!" Elena called up the stairs. "I'm heading out. Do you know where you're getting dinner?"

"Um… yeah." Jeremy called back, agitated. He had nothing on this guy. No bad past relationships, no criminal record, no nothing. Heck, the guy received an award for having the largest bunny farm back in Washington! There was literally no reason why he shouldn't want his sister going out with him.

He sighed as he heard the door shut downstairs, about to close his browser when something caught his eye. "What the…?"

It was a picture, obviously taken a few years ago, most likely in tenth or eleventh grade, of this Stefan guy and… "Elena?"

He read the caption below in extreme confusion. "_Stefan Edwards and girlfriend, Katherine Pierce receiving best in Political Science awards. The pair will be finishing eleventh grade with the highest honor record in the school's history…"_

"Katherine Pierce? That can't be right…"

Frowning, Jeremy grabbed the piece of paper he had written Stefan's new address on and headed out the door. If he was lucky, maybe he could catch the guy and question him before he left to go meet Elena.

VvvvV

Elena was still humming happily to herself as she walked along the street lamp lit road that lead into town.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Elena turned in confusion to see an elderly old woman hobbling over to her with a cane, looking distressed. "Miss, could you help me?"

Elena started toward her, confused that she didn't recognize her from anywhere. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"Oh, thank goodness… do you see that fountain over there?"

The woman pointed with a rather boney finger, and Elena nodded, confused. She didn't remember that being there before. "Yes."

"Well, I dropped my house keys in there when I was making a wish. I'd fish them out myself, but my poor old back just won't cooperate…"

Elena gasped. "How long have you been waiting for someone to walk by?"

"Dreadfully long, my dear. Won't you help me?"

"Of course," Elena replied, and the woman gave a gummy smile.

"You're an angel…"

She lead Elena across the street and over to the grey, stone fountain. "Oh, wow…" Elena bit her lip. "It's deep… I'm not sure if I'll be able to see it…"

"Maybe if you bent down and looked…" the woman suggested and Elena, a bit hesitant, did so and reached her hand in. "I can't even feel the bottom…"

She gasped in shock when the woman pushed her forward, sending her plunging into the water. She had been right; it was deep. So deep, in fact, that it didn't seem to have a bottom. Not to mention it had some kind of current that was pulling her downward, away from the dim light of the surface.

"Bye bye, Elena!" the old woman called with a wave a cackle. As she was saying this, her figure turned to a dark mist, and the cackling turned to husky, seductive laughter. She took form again, only this time as a startlingly beautiful young woman who looked much like Elena, but with more prominent and obvious beauty. "Bye bye." She said with a grin before turning on her heal and, with a flick of her wrist, the fountain evaporated as though it were never there in the first place. Katherine gave another throaty laugh, and then was gone.


	2. The Pretty Man Who Saved My Life

_**Note: In case you were wondering, Stefan isn't a vampire. **_

Elena weakly opened her eyes, feeling confused and very, very wet. She brought a hand to her head and rubbed her eyes. Yep, she was wet. The question was; what had just happened to her? She had been helping an old woman get her keys, and she must have slipped and fallen into the fountain…

Elena frowned in confusion. If that was the case, why was she lying on pavement and not still in the fountain? Weakly, her limbs feeling like jelly, Elena pushed herself up on her elbows to look around. She was in an alley, of all places, with a street lamp shining directly above her. She shivered as a cold breeze blew past her, causing her wet clothes to feel even icier than they already were. One thing Elena knew for certain was that she was very, very lost. That was evident just from the layout of the alley she was in; back in Fell's Church, alleys were rare to being with, and whenever there was one, the residents who lived beside them always kept them in decent condition. This alley, however, had garbage and old newspaper pages lying on the ground, blowing around in the night air under the yellow light of the single street lamp. Obviously… she wasn't in Fell's Church. But if not there, then where was she?

"Hello?" she called, coughing when she did so; her throat was dry and her voice raspy. "Is anyone there? I'm lost!"

Her legs shaking, Elena got to her feet and stumbled over to the nearest wall, leaning against the brick for support. She was dizzy, so she assumed she had bumped her head somewhere along the way. She squinted in the dim light when she noticed a figure walking toward her. "Hello?" she called out to them, and they stopped.

Elena took a few steps forward. "Can you please help me? Can you tell me where I am?"

The person walked closer to her, and she noticed it was a man. A man likely in his mid-thirties with washed out brown hair and stubble. Elena's instincts were screaming at her that it was a bad idea to ask him for help, but, of course, Elena Gilbert very rarely ever listened to her instincts. The man grinned when he finally stopped in front of her. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing in an alley all alone? Don't you know it isn't safe?"

Elena gulped. "I… I know. I was hoping you could help me. I'm not sure how I got here…"

The man chuckled. "You're drunk, sweetheart?"

She took a mortified step back. Elena Gilbert, drunk? She would never even consider such a thing! "I most certainly am not! I'm just lost."

"Yes, you are, doll face. If you were from around these parts, you would know better than to talk to strange men in alley ways, claiming you're lost."

She frowned in confusion. "But I am lost; and what's so strange about you?"

He chuckled. "Why don't I show you?"

Elena took another step away as he advanced on her. "Stay away from me…"

His grin widened, and Elena's eyes grew in horror when she realized that inside his grin his canine teeth were getting longer and sharper, and the whites of his eyes were turning blood red. There was something seriously wrong here, and innocent Elena Gilbert had nowhere to run to. Even if she had, she knew she wouldn't get far, anyway.

VvvvV

Damon Salvatore shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked down the street toward his car. It was late, and he knew Caroline would be getting worried if he didn't get home soon. The poor little fledgling vampire always got nervous if he stayed out too late, in fear that a hunter had discovered his secret and gotten to him. Of course, with Damon, that would never be the case; as if he would let some pitiful human bring him down. Not after nearly two hundred years he wouldn't. He had just reached his blue mustang convertible, and was digging in the pocket of his black leather jacket for the keys when he heard it; a terrified, high pitched female scream. Damon groaned in agitation, shoving the keys back in his pocket and starting at a quick pace for where the scream had come from. Perhaps, if he reached them soon enough, there wouldn't be as large a mess to clean up.

He frowned when he saw it; in a filthy, shadowy alleyway was, of course, Jack Finnes, one of the more irresponsible of their kind, cornering a poor, terrified young girl. Damon sneered in disgust at the sight; it was morons like Jack who were going to out their existence to the world. Or at least to the humans of Mystic Falls. Then where would he be?

Cleaning up everyone's messes, like he always did. Of course, the young ones always seemed to get some kind of sick enjoyment out of terrifying and torturing their prey before the feed; Jack in specific. It was a well-known fact that he loved to show his demonic face to innocent young girls who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, and let them get a head start in running before he would pounce. But something was even worse about tonight's show; the girl wasn't running. She was simply standing, clinging to the side of a dumpster, shrieking in terror. Evidently there was something the matter with her and she couldn't get away. It made Damon sick; only someone like Jack could get enjoyment out of doing this to someone in her state. Knowing what finally had to be done, and what had been prolonged for far too long now, Damon walked over to the side of a building, grabbing an old broom beside a garbage can and snapping it in half over his knee. He then started, stealthily quiet as only one of his age could be, to stalk up behind the foul creature before him.

"Scared, precious?" Jack was sniggering, while the girl sobbed, "Please don't hurt me…! _Please…!_"

Jack cackled. "Don't worry, sweet pea; it will only hurt… a lot." He began to lunge for her throat, and the girl screamed at the top of her lungs.

Damon took that as his cue to spring, plunging the sharp, pointed stick into Jack's back, straight through his heart. Jack grunted in surprise and his face turned sickly grey, wrinkling, and he fell to the ground. The girl gasped in shock, clinging more tightly to the dumpster behind her. Her big brown eyes flew up to her savior, who she couldn't see at the moment; he was standing out of the beam of light she and that… thing had been under. She gasped when he stepped into the ray of light; he was gorgeous. Black hair that fell untidily into piercing, lighting blue eyes, features that belonged on a runway, and a mouth that was to die for.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, and she felt her legs grow even weaker; that _voice. _It was like velvet and silk, and soothed her fears entirely. Yet it was rough at the same time in a way that could only be classified as to die for sexy.

"Hey," he took a step closer and tilted her chin up. "Are you alright?"

At his touch her legs finally gave way and she fell. He quickly caught her under her arms before she could get too far. "Who… who are you…?" she whispered, batting her lashes.

A grin pulled at his lips. "I'm Damon Salvatore."

_Damon Salvatore, _she thought. _Even his __**name **__is gorgeous. _

His grin faded when he realized the terrible condition she was in. "Can I call someone for you?"

"Call…?" she asked in confusion, mesmerized by his glimmering blue eyes.

He sighed; this was going to be difficult. Scooping her limp form into his arms, he carried her out of the alley and back to his car, where he opened the passenger door and sat her inside. "What's your name?" he asked.

"My name?" she blinked a few times, snapping back to the real world. "Elena. My name's Elena."

"Elena…?"

"Gilbert."

"Well, Elena Gilbert, what gives you the misfortune of wandering alone through Mystic Falls at night?"

She frowned. "Mystic Falls? Is that where I am?"

Slowly, he nodded; man, this girl really was out of it. What had Jack done to her? "Yes, you are. Where are you supposed to be right now, Elena?"

"Fell's Church. I live in Fell's Church. There was… there was this old lady… she dropped her keys in a fountain, and asked me to help her get them, but I must have slipped and fell in…"

"Oh, boy…" Damon muttered. "Look; you're soaked. If I let you wander around out here by yourself, you're going to get sick and into more trouble."

"Well, what do you suggest I do? I have no idea where I am… I don't even know why I'm wet, or how I got here!"

Damon bit his lip; he knew he would regret this. Every fibre of his being was screaming at him not to do it. But, there was a little part of him that knew he simply couldn't let such a confused, lost girl wander around a town like Mystic Falls alone. Especially at night. "Why don't you come home with me? I have a friend who lives with me who's about your age; we can get you into some dry clothes and figure out how to get you home. Okay?"

Normally, Elena would have refused to go home with some random guy. But she was desperate. Not to mention, he was a very pretty guy… "Oh… okay."

"Get yourself buckled in, alright? I just have to… make a phone call."

"About what?" Elena asked, freezing mid movement.

Damon gestured toward the alley. "About _him._"

Elena shuddered. "What… what was he? What was wrong with his face…?"

Damon touched her shoulder comfortingly. "Just don't worry about it, okay? You're safe now and have nothing to be scared off."

A bit skeptically, Elena nodded and Damon shut the car door. As he started for the alley again, he bit his lip at what an obvious lie that was. She would never have nothing to be scared of in Mystic Falls. Not in a town filled with vampires.

_Not when she was in the car of one of the town's most powerful vampires, and about to drive to his house where there was another vampire waiting._


	3. Learning the Truth

"Here we are; home sweet home."

Damon pulled into the driveway of an absolutely huge house, and Elena's eyes widened. "You live here?"

"Yep. Just me and Caroline."

He shut off the engine and Elena turned to him. "Is Caroline your girlfriend?"

"No, she's just my friend," He got out and walked over to her side, opening her door. "Are you alright to walk on your own?"

"I think so…"

She unbuckled her seatbelt and got out, giving him a smile as he led her up to the huge oak door and inside. Elena was ogling in awe at the vastness of the house when a feminine voice called from overhead. "Damon? Is that you?"

"Yeah!" he called up to her, and Elena immediately heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Oh, thank God! I was so worried that some hunter had gotten you…" Caroline trailed off when she got to the foot of the stairs and saw Elena, looking confused, and Damon shaking his head at her rapidly.

"Hunter?" Elena asked, turning to look at Damon. "What's a hunter?

Damon bit his lip. "A hunter is… well, they are…"

"She doesn't know?"

Elena turned to Caroline again. "I don't know what?"

She heard Damon heave a sigh. "She might as well know; I'm going to have to compel her to forget what she saw, anyway…"

Elena whirled in confusion. "_Compel me…?_"

"Elena… Caroline and I are both vampires."

Elena's eyes widened and she took a step back. "You're… you're _what…_?"

"That man who attacked you? Jack? He was a vampire, too. But he's what we like to refer to as… well, a psychopath. Not all of us enjoy torturing innocent teenage girls."

Elena couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No… no, it isn't possible…"

"Jack is actually the one who turned me into a vampire." Caroline said, biting her lip. "He found me walking home from my boyfriend's house one night, and he attacked me. He seemed to be in the kind of mood where he thought it would be fun to force me to turn."

"I found her, drinking from her little boyfriend, Matt…"

Caroline hastily wiped away a tear. "I don't like remembering it."

Elena was still shaking his head. "I don't believe it… vampires don't exist…"

"Well, we do. This town happens to be crawling with the highest vampire population in America."

Elena was starting to cry. "You're crazy! This is awful…"

Caroline's eyes widened. "Oh, don't cry!"

She rushed forward and grabbed Elena, hugging her. She looked at Damon. "Who is she?"

"She's Elena Gilbert, and she is very, very lost."

Elena sniffled. "You can't be _vampires…_"

"Do you want me to prove it?" Caroline asked.

"What?" Elena asked, pulling away from her.

"Care…" Damon cautioned.

"Oh, can it, Damon. Look, if I'm a vampire, than if I hurt myself, I'll heal insanely fast. I'll show you."

"Hurt yourself…?"

Caroline walked away, and came back with a knife. Elena gasped when she sliced her hand with it. "What are you doing…!"

"Look." Caroline said, walking forward and showing Elena her hand. Elena watched in shock as the wound rapidly healed itself. "Oh, my gosh…"

She met the blonde girl's eyes. "You really are a vampire."

Caroline smiled and nodded.

Elena took a step back toward the door. "Are you going to hurt me? Are you going to attack me like that man did…?"

"No." Damon assured her as he led her into the living room and sat her down. Caroline sat beside her and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "We're not like Jack. We drink from blood bags instead. Damon has been helping me control my urges… I've only been a vampire for about a year."

Elena nodded, and Caroline beamed. "Oh, it's so nice to finally have another girl to talk to! I haven't seen any of my friends since… since I changed. It sucks. I have to stay in her 24/7 and it's just so _boring…_"

"Don't complain, Carebear." Damon said as he pulled out his cellphone. He turned to Elena. "Is there someone I can call to have come pick you up?"

Caroline frowned. "Aw, Damon; can't she stay the night? It's super late; no one would want to come pick her up right now."

Damon glanced at the clock, a bit surprised to see it was eleven thirty. "Oh… I guess you're right."

Caroline clapped excitedly. "Yay! Come on; you can sleep in my room…!"

Caroline had pulled her up by her hand and was starting to pull her away when Damon cleared his throat. "Care… that might not be such a good idea."

She frowned. "Why not?"

"She's human, Caroline. Like it or not, the urges are still pretty powerful for you… the last thing we need is for you to eat her in her sleep."

Elena's eyes widened in horror, and Caroline quickly turned. "I would never…!"

"Oh, we know, Caroline. But it's better to be safe than sorry."

Caroline heaved a sigh. "Fine, _dad,_" she glanced at Elena's wet clothing. "Jeez, you're soaked. How did you manage that?"

"Um… an old lady pushed me into a fountain, and then I woke up here."

Caroline blinked. "No, really. How did you…?"

"She's telling the truth, Caroline," Damon said, "Or, at least, that's what she told me, too."

Caroline sighed. "Whatever. Let's go get you something to wear."

VvvvV

After Caroline had given Elena a pink cardigan and jeans to wear, Damon showed her to one of the many guest rooms.

"It might be a bit dusty; we don't have guests very often."

Elena smiled at him. "No, it's fine… thank you again, by the way. For saving my life."

Damon grinned as he lounged against the doorframe. "Don't mention it. Honestly, I've wanted to drive a stake through Jack's heart for years, but I've never been able to catch him off guard. So, really, it should be me thanking you."

Elena smiled as she sat on the bed. "Well, it was my pleasure to be bait in your vampire slaying."

Damon chuckled. "Do you need anything? Water, food, some other human necessity…?"

Elena giggled. "No, I'm fine. Thank you."

He smiled. "Goodnight, Elena."

She cautiously returned his smile, seeming to be thinking. "You don't sleep in a coffin, do you?"

He laughed. "I was _waiting _for you to ask me that."

"Well? Do you?"

He chuckled again. "No. No, I sleep in a bed, just like anyone else."

She nodded. "Good to know."

He laughed again and turned to go. "Goodnight, Elena."

She smiled. "Goodnight."

He shut her door and she moved to change into the pajamas Caroline had lent her; a silky dusty rose pair of shorts with a matching tank top. Crawling into bed, Elena turned off the bedside lamp and glanced out the window. Sitting in the darkness of a vampire's house, she couldn't help but wonder if Stefan was planning on rescuing her…

VvvvV

Jeremy was anxiously pacing around in the kitchen. It was past midnight and Elena hadn't come home. He hadn't been able to find that Stefan guy at his house earlier, so he had come home, assuming he would be dropping Elena off soon.

But he hadn't. Now, Jeremy was worried crazy about his older sister; it wasn't like her to not call him if she was going to be late. Obviously he had assumed the worst; Stefan had turned into some kind of sex crazed monster and taken his sister captive somewhere, and she couldn't call him for help. He was about to call the police when he heard a knock on the door. "Elena?" he called hopefully, running to it and swinging it open.

It was Stefan Edwards.

"Where the hell is my sister?" Jeremy yelled at him furiously.

"I was going to ask you the same thing; she didn't show up for our date."

Jeremy frowned. "What are you talking about? She left hours ago!"

"And I waited for hours, but she never showed up. I thought maybe she changed her mind and just didn't come."

Jeremy shook his head in confusion. "How did you get this address?"

"It's a small town. So… Elena isn't here?"

"No, she's not."

Jeremy ran a hand through his hair. "This isn't like her. Something had to have happened while she was on her way to the Café."

Stefan looked just as worried as Jeremy. "What could happen to her in a town this small?"

Jeremy shook his head. "I have no idea," he grabbed his jacket off the rack by the door and headed out, shutting it behind him. "But I'm going to find out."

He started down the steps, and turned back around. "Are you going to come help me?"

"Oh! Yes, of course." Stefan said, and quickly followed after him.


	4. The Unflinching Ability to Get Caught

Elena woke slowly, frowning and squeezing her eyes shut against the morning sunlight; she'd had the strangest dream last night, where an old hag pushed her into a fountain and she had ended up in some random town that was filled with… with vampires, of all things! A small smile found its way to her lips; the dream hadn't been all bad, though. She had been rescued from one of the more horrible vampires by an extremely handsome young man, with crow black hair and the most gorgeous blue eyes she had ever seen…

Her smile slowly faded to a look of confusion though. Why was the light coming from her left? It always shone in from her right in the mornings…

Her brown eyes snapped open in surprise, and she was shocked to notice that she wasn't in her own bedroom, but in a large, extravagant guest room. She wasn't even in her own bed; it was about three times bigger than hers, with silky black sheets.

_It wasn't a dream, _she remembered, sitting up in shock, _I'm in Damon Salvatore's house, sleeping in his guest room. Sleeping in another __**vampire's **__guest room. _

Elena hugged herself, suddenly with fear creeping into her stomach. Last night she had been too tired and confused to really be… scared. But now that she had slept through the night, she realized that she was terrified. Terrified of being so far from home, in some random guy's house. She jumped in shock when there was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" she asked nervously.

"It's Caroline; I brought you breakfast."

Elena then remembered she wasn't entirely alone; Damon had a friend who lived with him. A friend her own age. She sighed in relief, "Come in."

The door opened and Caroline poked her blonde head in, smiling, "Did you sleep alright?"

Elena nodded, giving a small laugh, "No one tried to eat me again."

Caroline smiled and walked over, placing a tray with toast and jam, cereal, and a waffle before Elena with a glass of orange juice on the side. "Don't tell Damon I let you use to orange juice; he likes to save it for his drinks."

Elena raised an eyebrow, "His drinks?"

"Yeah… Damon is kind of a recovering alcoholic who doesn't want to get better? You know, like the kind of person who says _I can quit any time I want, _but just chooses not to?"

Elena gave a small laugh, "Yeah, I get it. Don't worry; I won't tell him. If he finds out, he might drink from _me _instead."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about Damon; he won't hurt you. If he was going to, he already would have last night instead of bringing you here."

Elena nodded, not entirely believing her. She picked up the toast and took a bite, "Thanks for the breakfast."

Caroline nodded, "Of course. If you need anything, just call me, okay?"

Elena nodded as she swallowed, and Caroline stood up and left the room, leaving Elena to her thoughts. Once she had finished her breakfast, Elena decided it would probably be best to take a shower. After all, she had been soaking wet when Damon found her last night; she wasn't exactly positive it had only been water, either, seeing as though her only memories were of an old hag pushing her into a fountain. For all she knew, she could have been drugged and coated with gasoline. She sniffed her arm; nope, it didn't smell like gas. Then again, she could still be hallucinating; vampires? It was all too ridiculous…

Elena stood up and grabbed the clothes Caroline had lent her, walking out into the hallway, "Hey, Caroline?"

She jumped in shock when the blonde girl was in front of her in less than two seconds, "Yeah?"

"Um… where's your shower?"

"Oh," Caroline smiled and pointed down the hall, "Second door on the right."

Elena nodded in thanks and started down the hall, opening the door and walking inside, shutting the door and locking it behind her. Once in the safety of the bathroom, she took of her borrowed pajamas and walked over to the shower, turning on the water and stepping in. She sighed as the warm water hit her skin; it seemed to help sooth her nerves and fear. She could also think more clearly at the steam aided in clearing her head; how was she going to get home? She had no idea where _Mystic Falls _was, and she certainly didn't know how to get there from Fell's Church, little more how to get to Fell's Church from Mystic Falls. Reaching across the shower she picked up a bottle of shampoo and squeezed its contents into her hand, beginning to massage it into her scalp. As she did this, she began to worry; Jeremy. He had to be worried sick about her, if not out on his own searching for her, getting into trouble. Another thought occurred to her, and her eyes widened in shock when she remembered Stefan. She had been heading to their date when… whatever happened to her happened, and she wound up here. Was he out searching for her as she… showered? The thought soothed her a bit, and she let out a relieved sigh, shutting off the water and stepping out, grabbing a thick, soft red towel from a hook and wrapping it around herself.

Elena glanced around the room, and cursed herself when she realized she hadn't brought the clothes into the bathroom with her; she must have dropped them in surprise when Caroline had appeared so suddenly. Deciding it would just be best to go grab them quickly and dash for her room, Elena unlocked the bathroom door and started to run outside. She squealed in shock when she ran into someone and flew forward, the both of them landing on the hard floor with a thud, their legs tangling together. She realized that she was gaping, wide eyed, into the wide clear blue eyes of Damon Salvatore, who was only wearing a pair of black pants and nothing else. Elena's cheeks turned a fierce shade of scarlet, "Oh, my goodness; I'm so sorry!"

Damon's eyes were still wide as he gaped up at the girl on top of him, wearing only a towel; _his _towel. "Uh…" he managed to get out, and both of them turned their heads when a disgusted voice grabbed their attention.

"Oh, my God," a tall, blonde British woman spat out, her face one of true disgust. Damon's eyes widened even more so, shocked to see her standing there, "Rebekah!"

He turned back to Elena, who was still poised on top of him, and he quickly pushed her off, "Bekah, it's not what it looks like, I swear!"

She turned on her heal and began to stalk away, "Oh, I think it's exactly what it looks like, _Damon_; typically, when a girl is dripping wet on top of you in _your _towel, it means that you're cheating on me!" Rebekah sniffed the air as she reached the stairs, and her disgusted look grew even more so, "You're cheating on me _with a human?_"

"I'm not cheating on you with her! I just met her last night…!"

"Oh, because that makes it so much better!" Rebekah spat at him, storming down the stairs.

"Rebekah, nothing happened! She was lost; I was only helping her…!"

"Helping her what? _Find her way _into your bed? Or did you just skip straight into the shower?" Rebekah hissed at him when she reached the front door, yanking it open.

"Rebekah, I swear…!"

"Oh, save it, Damon; I don't even care what the hell you do. I can just as easily find someone to replace you."

"Replace me? Rebekah…!" Damon called, and frowned when she stormed out, slamming the door in his face.

Caroline was standing in the living room entrance, looking baffled, "What happened…?"

"_She _happened!" Damon snapped, pointing up the stairs as he stomped back up to where Elena was still lying in shock, the vampire couple having had their fight in only seconds, what with their speed. "You need to go," he spat, "_Now. _I'm taking you into town, and we're going to find your stupid little town, and get you the hell out of my house!"

He then stormed into his bedroom to dress, slamming the door behind him. Elena jumped and turned to Caroline, who seemed to be trying not to laugh. Elena bit her lip, "Who was that…?"

"Rebekah," Caroline explained, "Damon's girlfriend for all intents and purposes."

Elena bit her lip, "She thinks we slept together, doesn't she?"

Caroline laughed, "Ya think? Oh, don't worry about it; she still doesn't trust me around him. Don't feel bad; Rebekah has been searching for an excuse to break up with him for weeks now."

Elena frowned in confusion as she picked up her clothes and followed Caroline down the hall back to the guest room, "Why?"

"She just likes to be dramatic. They'll be back together by tomorrow, I guarantee it."

Elena nodded, hoping she was right; if, after all Damon had done for her, she was the reason his girlfriend left him… she would feel horrible.

Caroline giggled, "You look like you feel horrible; don't. Damon will get over it. It's his fault, anyway. He should watch where he's going when he knows his girlfriend is in the house."

She turned, still giggling, and left the room, shutting the door.

Elena sighed and grabbed a hairbrush that was sitting on one of the dressers, pulling it through her long wet hair before getting dressed and heading downstairs. Damon was standing by the door, keys in hand, clad in his leather jacket. Clearly he was waiting for her.

"Good, you're ready; let's go."

She finished descending the stairs, a bit confused, "Where are we going?"

"The library. We're going to find wherever it is that you live, and get you back there; today."

Elena brightened, "Really?"

He rolled his eyes, "Yes. The last thing I need is another incident like the last one; I'll be lucky if Rebekah shows up here ever again."

Elena bit her lip as she reached his side, "I'm really sorry about that… I don't even know what happened…"

Damon sighed and opened the door, gesturing her out, "Forget about it; it was my own fault. But it's not going to happen again."

She nodded and walked out into the morning sunshine, and her eyes widened in shock when Damon stepped out behind her, "Wait! If you're a… you know, how are you walking in the sunlight?"

Damon walked past her toward his car and waggled his ring finger; Elena noticed a bulky silver ring with a dark blue stone set in it. Come to think of it, Caroline had been wearing a more dainty ring with the same stone.

"Oh," she said, "How does it work?"

"A witch spelled it for me over a hundred years ago."

Elena's eyes widened as he got in the car, and she got in after him, "A witch? You mean witches are real, too?"

"Yup; so are werewolves, but you should seriously hope you never meet one of those. That would be worse than meeting an entire group of Jacks."

Elena nodded, a bit stunned as he turned on the car and pulled out of the long driveway. Frowning at the silence, Damon turned on the radio. "Ooh," he grinned, "Taylor Swift."

Elena giggled in surprise, "You like Taylor Swift? You're a vampire, and you like _Taylor Swift?_"

Damon grinned, "I have an unflinching ability to listen to her," he then began to sing along with the song that way playing, and Elena giggled, "_Our song is a slamming screen door, sneaking out late tappin' on your window, when you're on the phone and you talk real slow, 'cause it's late and your mama don't know…_"

He grinned at her, "What? Is it so bad that I like Taylor Swift?"

"No," Elena grinned, "I like Taylor Swift, too. I just wouldn't expect you to."

"Yeah," Damon grinned, "Nobody ever does. I think it's Caroline's fault that I listen to it; she's probably the biggest undead Taylor Swift fan… not alive."

Elena grinned; Caroline really was just like a regular teenager, who had her life ripped away from her by a… well, psychopath. Elena shuddered; that had nearly been her fate, too. "Thank you, again," she said to him, and he turned to her as he drove, "What for?"

"For saving my life last night. I can never repay you for what you did for me…"

"Aw, don't worry about it, sweetheart; it's like I told you. It gave me the perfect opportunity to kill Jack. The vampire slayers of Mystic Falls thank you, Miss Gilbert."

She giggled as he pulled into the parking lot of a large brick building, "Is this the library?"

"Yep," Damon nodded, "Let's go see if we can get you home."


	5. I Have to Save Her

"What did you say the name of your town is again?" Damon asked as he sat at a computer and scrolled through archives of neighboring towns and cities.

"Fell's Church," Elena replied as she searched through books.

"Fell's Church…" Damon muttered, scrolling down to the "F" section. Elena looked up from the book she was skimming through, "Any luck?"

Damon sighed heavily and exited the page, shaking his head. He opened Google maps and typed in "Fell's Church", waiting while the slow internet connection searched for Elena's home. Elena sighed heavily and shelved the book she had been reading, titled _Mystic Falls and Neighboring Societies._

"No luck?" Damon asked her, and she shook her head, "That was the last book, too."

Damon shrugged, "They're books; probably out of date. You said this place was really small, right?"

Elena nodded as she walked over and took a seat beside him at the computer. Damon began scrolling again when the page finished loading, and frowned in irritation, "There is absolutely nothing here about _Fell's Church!_"

Elena bit her lip, "But why? I thought that every town was at least listed on the internet…"

"Clearly not," Damon snapped as he, once again, typed it into the search engine.

Elena began to feel her fears bubbling up again; if they couldn't find her town listed anywhere, how was she going to get home? She knew that both towns appeared to be in Virginia, but that was it. Fell's Church could very well be on the other side of the state! A tear fell from her eye when she thought of the possibility of not being able to get home, and what kind of trouble Jeremy could be in…

Damon noticed her sniffling and looked up, frowning, "Why are you crying?" he snapped in irritation, and she hiccoughed, turning away from him; he had such a short temper at times! She started to cry harder, terrified of the vampire beside her. _The vampire! _"Oh!" Elena whimpered, putting her face in her hands as she cried, her shoulders trembling. "Stop crying," he hissed to her, noticing a few people starting to stare at them. Elena cried harder, "I'm never going to g-get home! J-J-Jeremy c-can't be witho-out m-me, and you're s-so m-m-mean…!"

"I'm not mean!" Damon snapped, "I invited you into my house, didn't I? _Mean _would have been leaving you out in the streets to die!"

She cried even harder, wailing, and drawing irritated attention from the librarian, who stalked over to them, "Is everything alright here?" she said in a snippy tone.

Damon sighed, "Everything is fine…"

"No, everything is not fine! I'm lost, my town is unlisted, and I can't get h-home…!"

"What if I showed you around Mystic Falls?" Damon offered, simply wanting more than anything to get her out of the place where they were being the exact opposite of "quiet".

Elena looked at him like he was crazy, "_What…?_"

"Look; obviously there isn't anything for us to find here. Maybe someone in town can help us. I can show you around town while we ask. Okay?"

Elena wiped her eyes, "You would d-do that…?"

He nodded and stood, offering her his hand. A small smile tugged at Elena's lips as she accepted, allowing him to help her up. They started to walk out, and Damon tossed an apologetic look at the fuming librarian.

Once they were in the car again, Damon thought of one of the things that always seemed to make humans feel better, "Do you want to go for ice cream?"

She gave a small laugh, wiping her eyes on her borrowed sweater from Caroline, "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Damon nodded, and Elena smiled, "Sure."

They drove in silence for a few minutes until Damon pulled into the parking lot of a park, which had an ice cream stand a few feet in. The pair got out of Damon's car and walked up to the stand. He sighed, "What kind do you want?"

Elena giggled at how ridiculous all of this was; a _vampire _was buying her an ice cream cone. "Chocolate, I guess."

"One cone of chocolate." Damon said.

"Alright, that'll be…"

"Free."

The cashier laughed, "_What…?_"

He trailed off when he caught sight of Damon's hypnotic eyes, "The ice cream is free."

"Yeah…" the cashier said, "It's on the house."

Damon grinned, "Thanks."

The cashier passed Elena her cone and Elena frowned in confusion as she accepted. She then followed Damon as they walked along the paved trail through the park while she licked her ice cream, "Why did he just… give it to you?"

Damon grinned, "Compulsion; a vampire's greatest power. We can will people to do whatever we want just by looking at them. That is, if they don't have vervain."

"Vervain?" Elena asked, taking another lick.

"Well, yeah; every species has a weakness. Dogs can't eat chocolate, vampires can't ingest vervain. It weakens us. Oh; it burns at the touch, too."

Elena nodded, "I see."

Damon glanced at her, "What about you?"

She looked at him, "What about me?"

"Well, you seem so desperate to get back to your quaint little town of Fell's Church; what's your life like there?"

Elena bit her lip, "Well… it's just me and my little brother, Jeremy, really. Our parents died a few years ago. They… drove off a bridge and both died."

Damon's eyes widened in surprise, "Jeez… sorry. That… that really sucks, Elena."

She nodded, "I… was in the car, too. I was the only one to get out alive. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't feel guilty that I lived and they both died. I guess someone had to live to take care of Jeremy. But, right now, he's all alone. That's why I'm so eager to get home."

Damon nodded, "Little brother issues."

Elena smiled a bit, "There's also this guy…"

"A guy?" Damon asked, suddenly interested.

"Yeah… Stefan. Stefan Edwards; I met him yesterday on my way to work. I was actually on my way to our first date… when I ended up here."

"What's he like?" Damon asked as they walked.

"Oh, he's amazing; he's sweet, and kind, and funny… he's my prince charming," she giggled.

"Oh, really?" Damon asked, skeptical.

Elena nodded, "I'll be he's off searching for me as we speak."

Damon snorted, and Elena frowned at him, "What?"

"Elena," Damon laughed, running his fingers through his hair, "No guy is just going to drop everything in his life to go search for some random girl he just met yesterday."

"I didn't show up for our date! He has to be worried sick about me…"

"He probably just thinks you blew him off. It won't be a big deal to him, trust me."

"No, I don't want to _trust you! _Stefan loves me…!"

"Loves you? The guy barely knows you!"

Elena glares, "You have no idea what you're talking about…!"

"Oh, but I do! I'm 171 years old, Elena; I'm in love with Rebekah, and even I wouldn't go to the ends of the earth to save her if she blew me off." His frown returned at the reminder that it was because of the girl in front of him that he and Rebekah were no longer speaking.

Elena shook her head in disgust, "That's pathetic…"

"No, Elena, that's reality. Either suck it up, or go fend for yourself."

She stood up straighter, "Fine; I will."

"Good," he said, starting to walk again. Elena didn't follow, "No, I mean I'll go fend for myself."

Damon laughed, "You? Fend for yourself in this town? You were here for two minutes and nearly got slaughtered!"

"I don't care. Give me some money and I'll get out of your hair; you seem to want me gone awfully badly, why make me stay?"

Damon considered her offer, and shrugged, digging out his wallet, "Fine. If you're so determined, here," he handed her a fifty dollar bill, "Don't get yourself killed."

Elena smiled icily, "I'll try. I hope things work out between you and _Rebekah._"

Damon mirrored her venomous smile, "The same to you and your precious _prince charming._"

Elena rolled her eyes and threw her ice cream in the trash, storming away. Damon watched her go, his smile turning to an expression that mingled with worry. There was no way she would survive a night in Mystic Falls alone; absolutely no way.

_But that isn't your problem, _a voice in his head whispered, and he sighed in agreement, turning and heading back to his car, driving home.

VvvvV

Elena had walked around town all day, and hugged herself nervously as the sun began to set. Maybe this hadn't been such a brilliant plan, after all… perhaps she should just go back to Damon's house until she could find her way home.

_He doesn't want you there, _her conscience whispered, _all you've done is cause him trouble. _

She bit her lip, feeling that was right. She couldn't barge back into Damon's house uninvited. She would just have to find somewhere else to stay.

Of course, Elena, with her pitiful sense of direction, ended up getting horribly lost, with no hotels in sight for miles. To make matters worse, the sun had disappeared entirely from the sky. With the street lights flickering on the dark sidewalk, it was exactly the situation she had been in last night. All she needed was a vampire…

The hair on the back of her neck stuck up and she cursed herself for thinking that as she whirled and came face to face with a tall, muscular man with a buzz cut. "Hey," he grinned, flashing his set of perfect white teeth. Elena shuddered, "I know what you are… stay away from me!"

The guy laughed, "Well, that takes the fun out of the reveal… alright, then; want me to just cut to the chase? I promise to make it quick."

Tears filling Elena's eyes, she knew she stood no chance against him. She also knew that there was no chance of Damon Salvatore rescuing her this time. Sobbing, Elena screamed in agony when the vampire latched onto her throat.

VvvvV

Caroline stared out the dark living room window, her pretty face filled with worry. "Damon," she whispered, "I don't like the idea of her out there by herself. She could get hurt."

"It was her own decision; I didn't force her to leave," Damon said from his spot on the couch, but his expression was clearly worried as well. Obviously he had expected Elena to show up on his doorstep sometime that afternoon, but she never had. Either she had found a way home (not likely) or she was hurt.

Caroline turned her head to look at him, "Damon."

"What?" he asked, and she glanced down at his foot. He then realized he had been tapping it restlessly, and stopped, "Right… sorry."

"Couldn't you just… go look around town? Make sure she's okay?"

Damon sighed, "Caroline, even if she was attacked, she wouldn't be out in the streets; they would have… taken care of the body."

Caroline squeaked, tears filling her eyes, "Don't say that!"

"Well what do you want me to say, Caroline? It's the truth! Searching for her would be pointless."

Tears trailed down her cheeks, "Damon… please? Even if you don't find her, at least you know you tried. If you don't try… who knows?"

Damon stood up, "If I go, will you stop bothering me?"

Caroline nodded eagerly, "Yes! Yes, I promise!"

He sighed and grabbed his jacket, tossing it on and snagging his keys from the coffee table, "Fine. Don't expect me to find her, though."

Biting her lip, Caroline sat on the couch and nodded as Damon headed out the door.

Before shutting it, though, he changed his mind and tossed the keys back; he would have better luck if he just ran. As he ran toward Mystic Falls at vampiric speed, he couldn't help but acknowledge the fear that was swirling around in his stomach at the thought of Elena actually being hurt. If she was, it was his fault. He hadn't tried in the slightest to stop her from running off.

He kicked himself internally for that as he arrived in town and began to look around inside all of the restaurants and hotels. Of course, she wasn't in any of the safe places Mystic Falls had to offer. Biting his lip, he started into the shadier part of town. "Elena," he called, his eyes darting around, "Elena…!"

"Elena?"

He turned and came face to face with a tall, muscular man with a buzz cut. Damon glared, "Franklin."

The man grinned, "Who's Elena, Damon? I thought you were hooking up with that British chick… Bekey."

Damon glared and took a step forward, "Franklin… have you fed tonight?"

Franklin nodded, "Duh; I feed every night."

"Who did you feed on tonight?"

Franklin's eyes narrowed, "Why do you care, Salvatore?"

"Just tell me!"

Franklin nodded, obviously ready to start gloating, "I had the fortune of stumbling across a pretty little teenager… long brown hair and soft skin… she was a fighter, too. Her pretty little whimpers made her even more delicious," Franklin began to frown, "But, come to think of it… she whimpered a name a few times, too. I just took it as a coincidence; thought maybe her boyfriend had the same name…"

Damon's glare grew more demonic, "What did she say, Franklin?"

"Oh, I have a funny feeling you already know, since you're running around town searching for a girl who _isn't _Rebekah…"

"_What did she say, Franklin?_" Damon yelled, and Franklin grinned.

"_Damon. _She was whimpering and pleading for _Damon._"

Damon snarled, infuriated, and shoved Franklin across the street. The larger vampire slammed into the side of a brick building. Franklin snarled and vamped out, lunging at Damon. Damon was faster, though, and had snapped the leg off an old abandoned table, plunging it into Franklin's chest when he came at him. Franklin grunted and, moaning, fell to the ground, dead. Damon dragged his body into an alley to dispose of later, and mentally cursed himself for not asking where the bastard had stashed her body. If she was really dead, he could at least give her a proper burial. He had… sort of liked her. She was spunky. He was letting out a shaky sigh, prepared to go home when a whimper attracted his attention. He tuned into it more closely. There was a struggling sob, and a whisper. He tuned in even more, and the whisper became more clear. "Damon…?"

His eyes widened, "Elena? Elena, where are you…?"

He began to dash through alleyways, searching for her tiny figure. He finally found her, slumped beside a garbage can, bleeding out rapidly. Obviously, Franklin had left her to suffer. _The bastard, _Damon thought as he crouched beside her.

"Damon…" she sobbed in relief, a small smile creeping onto her pale face.

"Shh…" Damon whispered, pulling her into his lap gently, positioning her head against his shoulder and, vamping out, biting into his wrist. "Here," he said quietly, "Drink it."

"W… what…?"

"It will heal you. Vampire blood heals. _Drink it, Elena._"

Deciding she had nothing to lose in trusting him, she latching weakly onto his wrist and began to drink. When her wound had healed over and her cheeks turned a healthy shade of pink, she stopped drinking. She smiled, her eye lids heavy, "You… came back for… me…"

Damon smiled, "Of course I did…"

Elena looked afraid, "The vampire…"

"Is dead. His name was Franklin. I killed him."

Elena's tense shoulders sagged in relief as she relaxed into his arms, "Thank you…"

Damon sighed as she lost consciousness, scooping her up and dashing home.

_This was all his fault. _


	6. Debt and Denial

Damon pulled back into the boarding house driveway and shut off the car, getting out with vampiric speed and blurring over to Elena's door and opening it. She was still unconscious, and Damon was starting to worry. He reached in and swept a lock of brown hair out of her eyes, biting his lip; she really was beautiful. For a human, her perfection was almost eerie. He sighed and unbuckled her seatbelt, gently picking her up and carrying her, bridal style, up to the front door, which he kicked open.

"Damon, is that… oh, my gosh!"

Caroline had rushed in to see if he had found Elena, and the sight before her eyes was frightening. Elena was unconscious in Damon's arms, and for a moment Caroline was terrified she was dead. "Is she okay?" she gasped, rushing forward.

"Give me some room, Caroline," Damon instructed and Caroline quickly shut the door and followed him upstairs. He walked into his bedroom, which was large and extravagant with an on suite bathroom and a huge four poster bed with a gold comforter. He carried Elena over to the bed and pulled back the covers, lying her down as gently as possible. He figured that, in the state she was in, it would be best to keep her comfortable. He happened to have the house's best bed, and, if he intended on keeping an eye on her, it only made sense that she be in his room.

"What can I do to help?" Caroline asked and Damon sighed as he sat on his bed beside Elena's sleeping figure. "Get me a washcloth, will you?" Damon asked, noticing the blood that still coated Elena's neck and chest where she had been bitten and left to bleed out. Caroline nodded and shot out of the room. Damon could hear her in the bathroom down the hall, rummaging around for the softest cloth, and then turning on the sink. A moment later she was back, a soft red washcloth in hand. "Here," she said, passing it to him.

"Thanks," Damon said, proceeding to gently wipe away the blood on her throat.

"What happened to her?" Caroline finally asked. Damon rolled his eyes, "What does it looked like happened to her, Care?"

"Well, I know that; I meant who did it?"

Damon's eyes narrowed in disgust as he remembered, "It was Franklin."

"The big guy with the buzz cut?"

Damon nodded.

"What did you do to him?"

Damon gently dabbed at Elena's face, attempting to rouse her, "I killed him."

Caroline was silent for a moment, shocked. Then, she said in a disbelieving whisper, "You… killed him?"

Damon turned his angry eyes on her, "What? Do you think I shouldn't have killed the bastard?"

Caroline took a surprised step backward, "No, I didn't say that…?"

"Then why are you so surprised that I killed him?"

She bit her lip, "Well… it's _why _you killed him that confuses me. She's just a human…"

Damon snorted, "This coming from the girl who was desperate for me to go find her?"

"That isn't what I meant! _I _like her, whether she's a human or not. It's you I don't understand. You seemed to hate her this morning after Rebekah caught the two of you… indecent together. Yet, you still killed Franklin for hurting her instead of just bringing her here and letting him go. Call me crazy, but… I think you care about her, Damon."

Damon glared, "What do you know?"

Caroline shrugged, a small smile on her lips, "Nothing, I guess. Forget I said anything." She started for the door, but paused and turned back around to face him, "Damon?"

"What?" he snapped, having returned to gently sponging Elena's cheeks.

"It's okay if you do care about her. If you're worried about your badass reputation… I won't tell anyone."

Damon grinned a bit and rolled his eyes, "Good bye, Caroline."

She smiled before walking out of the room and shutting the door. Damon sighed once she was gone, gazing, very worried, at the still unconscious girl before him. "Come on, Elena," he urged softly, "Wake up, sweetheart…"

VvvvV

Damon had started to doze off from boredom after a few hours when Elena finally stirred. She turned her head weakly to face him, her eyes not containing their usual sparkle. "Damon…?"

His head jerked up in surprise when he heard her voice, and he smiled in relief, "Oh, thank goodness… _it's about time._"

Elena gave him a small smile, "I'm sorry… how long have I been out?"

Damon checked his watch, "Four hours. I was starting to get worried."

She looked around the room in confusion, "Where am I…?"

"My bedroom," Damon said, standing up and dashing into his bathroom, coming out a few seconds later with a damp cloth. He dabbed at her face with the cool cloth in attempt to keep her conscious. Elena smiled, looking around the room, "It's nice."

He gave a small laugh, "Thanks," he bit his lip, "How do you feel?"

She shrugged, "Alright. I can't remember what happened to me, though…"

Damon frowned, feeling guilty, "You wondered off on your own this afternoon… and you got attacked by a vampire tonight. Elena, I'm so sorry; it's my fault…"

She frowned as memories began to flood back; the big vampire with the buzz cut, him biting her and drinking sloppily before dumping her in an alley to bleed to death. Behind the buzzing in her ears as she began to lost consciousness, she had heard voices talking out in the main square. The next thing she remembered were those intense blue eyes staring into hers, and him pulling her close and… biting into his wrist…? "I drank your blood," she said, her eyes wide, "It healed me. How did it heal me…?"

"Vampire blood has healing qualities. I'm still not entirely sure how that works, but it does."

Elena blinked a few times to clear her head, "You saved my life."

"I put it in danger first."

She shook her head, "It wasn't your fault. It was my own decision to wonder off… it's not like you could force me to stay with you."

He grinned a bit, "Technically I could have," he pointed to his eyes, "Compulsion, remember?"

Elena gave a weak laugh, "Oh, yeah," she smiled at him, "But you didn't. Why didn't you?"

Damon sighed, running a hand through his silky black locks, "Because I'm an idiot, that's why. If I had just compelled you, this never would have happened…"

Elena reached over and took his hand in her own, looking into his blue eyes with her own amber orbs, "Damon," she said quietly, "I'm glad that you didn't. I know that I can trust you because you didn't. You let me make my own choice, even if it was," she blushed, "incredibly stupid."

Damon couldn't help the small smile that quirked at his lips; her blush was adorable. Rebekah never looked like that…

He frowned; what was he thinking? He loved Rebekah; Elena was just a human who seemed to need to frequently be saved. There was nothing adorable about her…

She looked up at him with her big brown eyes, and Damon frowned; he needed to get out of there before he started thinking something else that was… completely ridiculous. "Well, if you're feeling alright, I think I'm going to… go into town."

Elena nodded, looking at him curiously, "Of course. You didn't have to stay with me…"

Damon stood up and started for the door, grabbing his jacket, "Caroline is downstairs if you need anything. I'll see you tomorrow."

He had started to dart out the door when Elena called his name, "Damon?"

He cursed himself for stopping and turned around, "What?"

She smiled sheepishly at him, "Thank you; for saving me. Again…"

He grinned and shook his head, "Don't mention it."

Elena blushed again, "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble… I feel horrible for imposing so much…"

Damon grinned and rolled his eyes, "You're not imposing, Elena. Just get some rest, alright?"

She nodded, snuggling deeper into his sheets and shutting her eyes. Damon lingered in the doorway for another moment, watching her, a confused crease in his brow; why did the image of her, curled up in his bed make him feel so… happy?

More importantly, why was he mentally comparing the vision of Elena in his bed, to Rebekah? There was no comparison.

As he dashed down the stairs and out the door nervous about his own thoughts, he kept thinking over and over; _there is no comparison, there is no comparison, there is no comparison…_

Caroline frowned in confusion when he darted out the door, slamming it behind him. He hadn't seemed angry, he had seemed… scared? Well, that didn't make any sense... confused, Caroline walked up the stairs and peaked into Damon's room. Nothing seemed wrong; Elena was curled up in his bed, asleep. Or, so she had thought. When she looked in, Elena opened her eyes and her brown ones locked with Caroline's blue. She seemed extremely happy to see her, "Caroline, can I ask you a favor?"

Caroline smiled and walked into the room, sitting on Damon's bed, "Sure."

Elena sat up, "How would you get a vampire couple back together?"

Caroline raised an eyebrow, "Are you talking about Damon and Rebekah?"

Elena sighed and nodded, "He's done so much for me… _he's saved my life, twice! _I feel like I owe him something in return. Since it's my fault that Rebekah left him… I feel like I should at least try to fix things. I was hoping you would help me."

Caroline grinned; when she was human, she had loved being the match maker amongst her friends. The idea of being able to do that again made her giddy, "Oh, yes! Absolutely! What did you have in mind?"

Elena considered it, and then slumped into the numerous pillows, frowning, "I have no idea. What kind of thing do vampires do when they… date someone?"

Caroline shrugged, "It all depends on the vampire, I guess."

Elena heaved a sigh. Then her eyes lit up, "Why don't we go shopping tomorrow? Maybe we'll get any idea there, at the mall. Do you want to go?"

Caroline squealed in excitement; she hadn't had an excuse to leave the house in almost two years. The idea of shopping, and shopping with another teenage girl, was extremely exciting for her. "Yes," she squealed, "Absolutely! All we have to do is convince Damon to let us borrow the car."

Elena's smile slipped a bit; that could be interesting…


	7. New Found Feelings and Discovery

"Please, Damon? I haven't been out of the house in months, and Elena said that she wants to go, too!"

Elena bit her lip; the last thing she wanted to do was bourdon Damon after all he had done for her. Yet, here was Caroline, bringing her into her speech about him lending them the car. Damon was sitting on the couch, rubbing his eyes and sipping bourbon; it didn't look like he had slept in more than 24 hours. Even for a vampire, that had to be a bit tiring. "Caroline," he complained, "You barely have your license. Do you honestly expect me to let you drive my car?"

Caroline pouted, "Please? Who knows how long Elena will be here; she needs some of her own clothes, too; she has to be sick of wearing mine."

Elena bit harder on her lip in guilt; she didn't actually have any money to spend at the mall. Was Caroline trying to swindle money out of him now, too? "Caroline…" she protested, but Caroline held up a hand to silence her. Damon glanced at Elena, obviously wanting her to be honest, "Do you really want new clothes?"

Elena blushed, "Well… I'd like to go to the mall with Caroline, but you don't have to…"

Damon cracked a small smile and pulled his wallet out of his jeans' pocket, opening it and pulling out a black credit card, handing it to her. "Buy whatever you like; just don't let Caroline get at it."

Caroline frowned, but quickly beamed, "You mean we can go?"

Damon stood up, "You can go; but I'm taking you."

Caroline glanced at Elena, and she shrugged; they would take what they could get. "Alright," Elena said, smiling at him. She followed Damon out the front door, turning back to glance at Caroline. "Are you coming?"

Caroline nodded as she fiddled with her daylight ring; really, she hadn't needed it until now. "Yeah… yeah, I'm coming."

Elena smiled softly and turned around again to follow Damon to his car. Caroline bit her lip, but then stood up straighter and confidently followed the two of them out into the sun. At first, she squinted her eyes shut instinctively, a bit nervous. But, when he skin continued to feel the same, a smile blossomed on her lips. From over by the car, Damon grinned at her, "Wishing you had come out of hiding earlier?"

Caroline grinned back and nodded. Damon grinned and got into the car, Elena hesitating at the passenger door. "Did you want to sit up front?" she asked, and Caroline smiled, shaking her head. "The back is cool," she said, walking forward and climbing in. Elena got in after her, sitting on the leather seat beside Damon. He turned on the car, and both girls jumped in surprise when _Back in Black _by AC/DC began to roar in their ears. Damon quickly turned it down, grinning sheepishly, "I was… uh… out late, and forgot to turn it down."

"Taylor Swift _and _AC/DC?" Elena asked with a giggled. Damon shrugged as he pulled out of the driveway. "It's not that weird; she went on tour with Def Leppard, didn't she?"

Caroline smiled from the backseat as Elena giggled and continued to talk music with Damon. Little did they know, this was all part of her plan; her plan to get _them _together. She may not have been frank about it, but she despised Rebekah with a fiery passion. The vampire was an evil bitch, who was cruel to Damon for no reason. Sure, Damon wasn't the nicest guy in the world himself at times, but he didn't deserve to be treated with such a flakey attitude. He deserved better; someone who could help him be better. Elena seemed like she may be that girl; she made him smile in a way Caroline had never really seen before. It was evident that he liked her. Caroline adored her; she was like the best friend she hadn't seen in years. Now, all that was left to do was make them fall in love.

"…and I knew Eric Carmen back in the 80s; something no one else knows is that I helped him write _Hungry Eyes _for _Dirty Dancing. _Sure, he was a great guy, but he couldn't write a bridge to save his life."

Elena looked astonished. "You can't be serious! I love that song!"

Damon grinned. "Oh, I'm serious. I'll have to introduce you to him some time."

Elena laughed, "It's he, like, 60 now?"

"Sixty-three," Damon said, and Elena laughed again.

Caroline grinned; this was going to be too easy.

… . … . … . … . …

"I can't believe you actually bought that," Elena said, grinning as she walked between Damon and Caroline through the mall a few towns over. Damon laughed in agreement. "She has a point, Care…"

Caroline frowned at them, holding her bag more tightly; she had just bought an adorable Mickey Mouse crop top that she loved, but the two of them seemed to find it hilariously cheesy. "Well, I don't think she does; I like it."

Damon grinned and shook his head, "I'm going to stop by John Varvatos; I heard they have a new collection of black V-necks in."

Caroline shrugged, "Whatever; we'll stop by the food court," she turned to Elena. "You must be starving."

Elena blushed. "I guess I'm a little hungry…"

"Then it's settled; Damon, you go buy more of the only brand name you own, and Elena and I will go stuff our faces with food we can't get in Mystic Falls," Caroline grinned at Elena. "Shall we?"

Elena rolled her eyes and grinned, nodding.

"I'll meet you two there," Damon said, heading in the opposite direction. Caroline nodded and towed Elena toward the elevators. Once they were inside, Caroline grinned at her. "I hope that you're here when summer rolls around."

Elena frowned and raised an eyebrow, "Doubtful, but why?"

"Because," Caroline gushed quietly, "Damon loves swimming. If you think he's good looking with his John Varvatos shirts _on, _just wait until he takes it _off…_"

Elena blushed. "I never said I thought he was good looking…"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Oh, please; everyone thinks he's good looking, Elena. You'd have to be blind not to."

Elena sighed. "Alright… maybe he's a little… sort of… seriously gorgeous."

Caroline grinned; Damon had only known her for two days, and already she was roped. They reached the second floor and got out, instantly overwhelmed by the various scents; pizza, hamburgers, French fries, corn dogs, and anything else in existence that could be fried and coated with grease. "Ah; I can smell the obesity warnings already," Caroline said, meriting a giggle from Elena as they headed over to the French fry stand. They got their baskets of fries, two dishes of ketchup and headed over to a table. Caroline, who hadn't had a good basket of concession stand French fries in years, immediately started to stuff her face in a slightly unladylike fashion. Elena giggled and dipped one of hers in her ketchup, taking a bite. "So," Caroline asked, swallowing and taking a sip of the Coke she had ordered with her fries, "what's your life back home like?"

Elena bit her lip. "It's… interesting, I guess."

"You guess? Well is it or isn't it?"

Elena sighed. "Alright, it's boring. Painfully boring. I work in a library, for Pete's sake! All I do is go to school, go home, go to work, go home, cook for Jeremy, clean up Jeremy's messes, and then go to bed and start all over."

"Who's Jeremy?" Caroline asked.

"My little brother; our parents died a few years ago, so it's just us. We live in a really small town and didn't have any relatives close or willing enough to take us."

Caroline bit her lip. "I'm sorry… about your parents. My mom still lives in Mystic Falls… but she thinks I'm dead, ergo why I don't get out very much."

Elena gave her a sympathetic smile. "Well, I'll have to introduce you to Jeremy. He'd love you. There aren't any girls in Fell's Church willing to give him the time of day. I don't get it; Jer isn't that bad, and, as far as little brothers go, he's… pretty cute."

Caroline gave a yearning groan, "I would _so _love to meet a guy. Any guy. Let's just say, my last relationship didn't end very well."

"Why not?" Elena asked, eating another fry.

"Well, I was turned into a vampire, fed on him to complete the change, and then Damon had to compel him to make him think I died, along with everyone else I know. So, he grieved me and then moved on to Eliza Mellark."

"What was he like?"

"Typical high school dream boat; quarterback on the football team, messy blond hair and baby blue eyes. His name was Matt Donovan."

"Did you… love him?"

"I guess so; it was short lived, so I never really found out how much I loved him, or if he loved me."

Elena looked sympathetic as Caroline ate more French fries. A few minutes later, Damon walked up behind them, a black shopping back in hand. "Ooh," he grinned, "fries." He snagged one of the few remaining ones in Caroline's basket before reaching for a chair at another table. "No, no," Caroline shook her head, standing up; "I gotta go fix my makeup now. Just take my seat; I'll be back in… a half hour."

"A half hour," Damon snorted, "just to fix your makeup?"

Caroline grinned at him before jogging toward the elevators; food court bathrooms had never been her style.

Damon sighed and sat in Caroline's seat, grinning at Elena. "She didn't drive you crazy, did she?"

"No," Elena shook her head, frowning. "She told me about her ex; Matt? It sounds like she's had a really tough time."

Damon nodded. "Put that together with her mom thinking she's dead, and she had plenty of reason not to leave the boarding house for two years."

"Two years in the same enclosed space," Elena shook her head in disbelief. "_Two entire years_…"

"It's awful, I know," Damon agreed, biting his lip. "I know I should have tried to take her out sooner… but I guess I've just been busy. Someone has to keep the baddies in check, seeing as though the attacks got so out of hand a few years ago that we had hunters knocking on our door."

"Hunters," Elena repeated, hearing the word again, "You mean like vampire slayers? As in Buffy?"

Damon grinned, "If I had a dollar for every time I heard _that _one…"

Elena grinned back at him, "Well, in your defense, you happen to be much more handsome than they make vampires seem. No freaky wrinkles or squashed noses."

Damon shrugged, "Well, we aren't exactly pretty when we… you know," he whispered, "_vamp out._"

Elena raised an eyebrow, "Oh, I know… I sort of witnessed it."

Damon bit his lip; he had nearly forgotten about Jack frightening her the night he found her. "You should never have had to."

She smiled fondly at him. "You know… you seem sweeter than you like to let people believe you are, Damon Salvatore."

Damon grinned, "And you happen to not be the innocent little flower I pegged you for, Elena Gilbert."

He and Elena then engaged in an unannounced staring competition, both grinning like the Cheshire cat the entire time. Damon suddenly surprised her, making her blink when he snagged one of her fries and popped it into his mouth. "Hey!" she said, laughing. He shrugged as he chewed. "You should have seen that one coming…"

She grinned and shook her head. It was while she was doing this that something caught her eye across the food court. "Hey…" she said, her interest peaking. "What?" Damon asked, swivelling around to see what had caught her eye. Elena stood up, abandoning her food and walked over to a attractive, glossy dark purple and blue poster hanging on a bulletin board announcing a ball of some sort. It seemed to be a theme ball; the 1800s. Elena grinned; it was perfect. The perfect opportunity to get Damon and Rebekah back together. "Well, that looks like it might be fun," she said, and Damon looked down at her skeptically. "Really?" he asked, "You don't strike me as a ball kind of girl."

Elena shrugged. "That's probably because I've never been to one. My town isn't exactly big on social events."

"Do you… want to go?" Damon asked, eyeing her curiously. Elena bit her lip; she hadn't expected him to ask _her. _As confused as her feelings began to make her, she discovered that she certainly wouldn't mind showing up at a fancy party on Damon Salvatore's arm. But… he wasn't hers to attend with. He was Rebekah's. Besides; she had Stefan. And Jeremy; she had to get home!

"I can't," she said, surprised at how regretful it honestly came out. "I'll likely be home by then… but you should ask Rebekah."

Damon frowned, "Rebekah?"

"Well… yeah. Maybe, if you asked her to go, she would want to… get back together with you."

Why did the idea upset her so much? She _wanted _to reunite him with his girlfriend. That was her plan!

Damon shoved his hands in his jacket pocket as he inspected the poster. "I dunno; balls aren't really her scene."

"Come on, Damon; no matter what you may think, every girl on the planet dreams of going to a ball."

Damon grinned, "Yeah, every girl you know. This girl, however, actually attended real royal balls over the years. I don't think a fake one would spike her interest."

"Well… maybe it would if you asked her." She put an extra emphasis on _you_.

Damon thought about it. "You know… maybe you're right. I mean, if it's me asking how can she say no?" he asked, grinning at her. Elena grinned weakly back. "It would be impossible for her to resist."

Damon glanced at the date; the ball was in two days. He would ask Rebekah tonight, then focus all of his energy on getting the girl beside him back home. Although, he couldn't help but wonder why _she _had said no when he asked her to go; he had thought that, maybe, she sort of… liked him. He sighed, "I'll do it; I'll ask her tonight."

Elena smiled. "That's great, Damon."

"But," he said, pointing at her, "if she turns me down, you're stuck with me. So, seeing as though the chances of her saying yes are low… I think you need a dress, Miss Gilbert."

Elena's eyes widened, "Oh, Damon, I can't ask you to…"

He rolled his eyes. "Just shut up and come on; I'm buying you a dress whether you like it or not."

Caroline reappeared at that exact moment, though, glancing at the poster. "Ooh," she giggled, "a ball! That sounds like so much fun… you two should go!"

Damon shrugged and Elena blushed.

"She insisted that I ask Rebekah. But, I did ask her first, so, if Rebekah says no, she's stuck going with me instead."

Caroline frowned. "You're asking Rebekah?"

Damon sighed and nodded. "It was Elena's idea, not mine. I'm taking her to get a dress right now."

"Oh, no you're not!" Caroline snapped, "Everyone knows that the guy can't see the girl in the dress until the ball!"

Elena raised an eyebrow as Caroline grabbed her arm. "I thought that only worked for weddings?"

"Weddings, balls; one leads to another in fairy tales, anyway… come on! We have to get you the prettiest," she glanced at the poster to discover there was a theme, "oldest dress we can find! To the antique dress store!"

Elena raised an eyebrow as Caroline began to drag her away, "They have one of those?"

Caroline paused. "Technically, it's a costume shop with really authentic costumes… but what's the difference?"

Elena shrugged, smiling. "Nothing, I guess."

Caroline nodded. "Exactly. We'll meet up with you later, Damon!" she called over her shoulder, dragging Elena into the elevator. Damon nodded and watched the doors close behind them. He frowned when they did.

He didn't want to ask Rebekah to the ball. The more he got to know Elena, the more he realized how wrong Rebekah was for him. Rebekah was conceited, vain, cruel and rude to him. Elena, however, cared about everyone but herself, was the kindest person he knew yet still possessed enough spunk to keep him interested, and she was… beautiful. He didn't understand why, or how, he could feel this way after only two days. But he did.

He hated the idea of having to show up at that ball with Rebekah. When he had asked Elena…

He meant it.

… . … . … . … . …

"Any news?" Stefan asked as he entered the small Gilbert house when Jeremy opened the door. The teenage boy shook his head dejectedly. "Nothing. There's no sign of her for miles."

Stefan frowned, shaking his head. "It doesn't make any sense. How could she be here one moment, and gone the next…?" he trailed off, his eyes widening. Jeremy began to babble nervously about the possibility of kidnapping or homicide, but Stefan could only think of one explanation that, now that he realized it, should have been obvious from the very beginning.

_Katherine. _That evil little witch, who had disappeared without a trace must have done something to Elena. In fact, the reason Stefan had noticed Elena in the first place was because she looked exactly like Katherine. He had run into her on purpose, just to see what she would say. But she didn't know him. It was like they hadn't been together for four years in high school; it was like he never existed. Which, now he knew made sense since it wasn't Katherine, and they had never met. What still puzzled him was how they looked exactly alike. Evidently Elena wasn't a witch. The horrifying question that was pulsing around in Stefan's brain was simple; what had Katherine done to Elena?

"Jeremy… maybe we should go look around town again. Maybe we missed something?"

Jeremy shook his head, "I've been checking for the past two days; there's nothing."

"But maybe we missed it? You can never be too careful when it comes to this stuff."

Stefan said this because he knew exactly what to look for now to prove it had been Katherine. If he could find that, he could find out exactly where Elena was. He waited eagerly for Jeremy to agree. Finally, the boy sighed. "Yeah, okay… let's go. But we need to hurry; the police are supposed to call here with updates soon."

Stefan nodded and ushered Jeremy out the door. They began walking Elena's usual route, Stefan searching for that familiar sparkle somewhere, anywhere… there! Over in that little clearing off the road…

"I think I see something," Stefan said, running across the street. "What?" Jeremy asked in disbelief, following him. Stefan reached the spot first and crouched down in the grass. Yes, it was what he thought it was; that familiar sparkling dust that marked where a witch had done magic on a mortal. So, Katherine had used some form of magic to transport Elena somewhere… she could literally be _anywhere! _Stefan groaned as he stood up, fingering the dust.

"Dude, what is that stuff?" Jeremy asked, confused. Stefan glanced at the boy, deciding he had a right to know. "It's witch's dust, Jeremy."

Jeremy stared at Stefan like he was crazy for a few seconds, and then burst into laughter. "Oh, that's a good one! First my sister comes home blabbering on about true love, and now you expect me to believe she was attacked by a witch?" Jeremy glared, "Not funny."

"No, Jeremy, I can prove it to you."

Jeremy snorted and turned to leave. "No, you can't."

Desperate to prove his point, Stefan did the only thing he knew would work. "Show me where Elena Gilbert is!"

He tossed the dust into the air, and it exploded in a burst of glitter, making Jeremy jump and whirl. When he turned, he was confronted with an image of his sister with a blonde girl about her age in a store somewhere, looking at dresses. There was no sound, but it was definitely her. "Oh, my God…"

"Where is she?" Stefan commanded, and the dust swirled before reforming again to show another image. This time it showed a cheery sign that read, "Welcome to Mystic Falls, Virginia!"

"Mystic Falls?" Jeremy questioned. "Where's that…?"

Stefan was pale, "It's a highly magical town. But it's filled with dark magic; vampires, mainly. The death toll is terrifying. I should have known she would be there."

"Well, how did she get there?" Jeremy snapped.

"You don't want to know. Let's just go bring her home."

Jeremy eagerly followed Stefan back to his house; he wasn't sure if this guy was nuts, or if he had eaten some bad food and was seeing things, but right now, it was the only plan they had that may lead them to his sister. Naturally, he was going to go along with it.


	8. What the Heart Wants

"Alright, I'm here; what do you want?"

Rebekah pranced into the boarding house, walking straight past Damon and over to the liquor cart to pour herself a drink. Damon sighed and shook his head, shutting the door. "I wanted to… talk to you."

"About what? Your latest booty call?" Rebekah asked, downing a shot of tequila. Damon frowned. "For the last time, _nothing happened…!_"

"Save it, Damon; I don't even care anymore."

Damon frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Rebekah shrugged, pouring another shot. "I've been keeping myself busy. What do you want to talk about?"

Damon sighed. "Well, I was stupid enough to wonder if you wanted to go to a ball with me, but evidently you don't, so…"

Rebekah frowned, suddenly curious. "Wait… what? What do you mean, a ball? This isn't the 1800s, Damon…"

Damon pulled a pair of tickets out of his pocket with a flourish. "The city a few towns over is holding some kind of theme ball, and I was wondering if you wanted to go."

Rebekah looked considering. "Well, what's the theme?" she asked, taking her shot and putting the glass down, walking over at him and snagging one of the tickets. She grinned, "Oh, excellent; I've been looking for an excuse to wear my favorite dress again."

"So… is that a yes?" Damon asked uncertainly. Rebekah smiled at him. "Yes, it is. I suppose I can overlook your recent mistake; so long as it doesn't happen again."

Damon fought the urge to roll his eyes, and chose instead to smile. "Great."

The door opened at that moment, and Elena and Caroline walked in laughing, and their laughter stopped short when they realized who was standing in front of them. Caroline frowned, and Elena smiled cautiously. "Hi," she said and Rebekah smiled bitterly. "Hello."

Elena noticed the ticket in Rebekah's hand and beamed. "You two are going to the ball together?"

Damon nodded as did Rebekah. "Well, he's my boyfriend, so it would only make sense that we attend together."

Elena, naïve as she was, didn't detect the accusatory tone in Rebekah's voice. But Caroline did and her frown deepened. "Can I talk to you for a second, Damon?"

Damon nodded and followed Caroline outside.

"What's your problem?" he asked in confusion and Caroline shook her head, pointing to the house, indicating that Rebekah could hear. Instead she pulled out her cellphone and texted him, glaring. He picked up his cellphone in confusion and read her message.

_**Why the hell are you going to the ball with HER?**_

__Damon sighed and texted her back. Caroline glanced at her phone when she received the message.

_**It's what Elena wants. **_

__Caroline raised a suggestive eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes, frowning at her. Caroline grinned and sent him another message.

_**Do you love her?**_

__Damon stared in disbelief at the message, and then texted the honest truth.

_**I don't know.**_

… . … . … . … . …

"So; what was it like, sleeping with my boyfriend?"

Elena stared in disbelief at Rebekah; did she still believe that? "I didn't sleep with him. It isn't like that between us."

"Oh? Did he compel you to say that?"

Elena frowned. "No, he didn't. Damon's a good person; he wouldn't do that to me."

Rebekah laughed shortly. "Clearly you don't know Damon at all, _Elena._"

"We didn't sleep together. I was lost, and he saved me from a vampire and then let me spend the night…"

"The night, eh? Then why are you still here three days later?"

"I don't know how to get home. Caroline and Damon are helping me."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "That's all very sweet, but I don't really care. You can stay here as long as you want as long as you stay away from Damon."

Elena glared, suddenly annoyed. "Why? From what Caroline has told me, you don't treat him very well, so why should you care what he does?"

Rebekah glared and stalked up to her. Elena took a startled step back from the vampire in front of her. "Mind your own business, trollop," Rebekah hissed just as the door opened and Damon and Caroline walked back in. Damon frowned. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Rebekah said, tearing her eyes away from Elena's frightened face. "I have to go; if I'm going to that ball tomorrow night, I'll need to have my dress cleaned." She walked over and kissed Damon's cheek, tossed Elena one last glare, and left. When she was gone, Damon quickly walked up to Elena. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"

Elena shook her head. "I'm fine… she was just… making a few things clear."

Damon frowned. "What did she say?"

Elena shook her head. "Don't worry about it; everything is fine." Elena gave him a tiny smile. "I'm happy for you, Damon."

Caroline looked the exact opposite of happy, though. "Now what are we going to do with your dress?" she asked Elena, pouting. Elena gave a small shrug. "I wasn't planning on going, anyway… you should go, Caroline."

Caroline shook her head. "I don't want to go alone… and no one could take me, anyway. Everyone thinks I'm dead."

For someone who had just gotten back together with his British, blonde, bombshell girlfriend Damon looked the exact opposite of happy. He sighed. "I'm… going to go look for something to wear."

Elena and Caroline watched him walk up the stairs, and Elena frowned. "You don't think he's upset because Rebekah's angry I'm still here, do you?"

Caroline shook her head. "No… no, that's not why he's upset."

Elena glanced at her. "Then… why?"

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "Well… maybe he's going to the ball with the wrong girl."

Elena blinked a few times and shook her head. "Don't be silly… he loves her."

Caroline grinned a bit, "Whatever you say, Elena."

… . … . … . … . …

"How far away is this place, anyway?"

Jeremy was watching Stefan as he drove along a seemingly endless highway they had drove onto late last night. "It's hard to say; knowing Katherine, she'll have made it as hard for anyone to find it as possible. It could take us a few hours to get there, or a few days. It all depends…"

"Who is this Katherine chick, anyway?" Jeremy asked and Stefan sighed. "She was my girlfriend back in high school; let's just say, it didn't end well."

"She's a witch, right?"

Stefan nodded and Jeremy laughed. "Seeing as though you aren't a frog, it couldn't have ended that badly."

Stefan sighed. "You don't know the half of it, Jeremy; she was obsessed with me, and I broke her heart. She swore that I would never be happy with any girl unless it was her, and I guess this is her way of keeping her word."

"By kidnapping my sister and sending her to some hub for vampires?" Jeremy asked, frowning and Stefan nodded. "I guess so…"

He noticed Jeremy's worried expression and gave him a small smile. "Don't worry, Jeremy; you saw her. She's fine, and someone is taking care of her. All we have to do is find those someones and everything will all work out. She'll be home before you know it."

Jeremy nodded; he hoped he was right.

… . … . … . … . …

Elena walked up the stairs of the dimly lit house and paused in front of Damon's bedroom door. It was getting late, and she wanted to ask him if she could grab a shower before she went to bed. She didn't want a repeat of "the incident". If Rebekah caught them again, she probably would kill them both. Sighing, she knocked on the thick mahogany door and waited for him to reply. "Come in," he called and Elena opened the door and peaked inside. She grinned when she saw he was decked out in an old fashioned tux, complete with tails and a white bow tie. He was frowning at his reflection in the mirror, not bothering to turn around as he fiddled with his hair. "Well, don't you look dapper?"

Damon turned to face her and grinned. "You like it?"

She walked up to him and nodded. "It's incredible."

He smiled, but his smile slipped a bit. "I wish you would go. I hate that you got so excited, and that you bought a dress… and now you just aren't going."

She shrugged and fiddled with his bowtie, smiling at him. "It's okay; I didn't really want to go anyway."

Damon frowned. "Yes, you did."

Her smile slipped a bit. "Damon… it's okay, really. I was the one who told you to go with her, and she makes you happy…" Elena smiles softly, "That's all that matters, isn't it?"

Damon slowly nodded, but didn't smile. "I suppose…"

Elena smiled at him, and appraised his suit again. "This really is amazing… it's so authentic."

He grinned. "That's because it is. I've had it since 1864."

Her eyes widened. "You've had this for over 100 years?"

He nodded, "Yup." He glanced at her. "Did you need something?"

"Oh," she blushed, feeling foolish, "I was going to ask you if I could take a shower before I went to bed; I wasn't sure…"

Damon chuckled. "You don't have to ask, Elena."

"Well, we don't want a repeat of what happened the other day, do we? If we do, Rebekah would probably kill me…"

Damon frowned. "Rebekah won't hurt you, Elena. I won't let her hurt you."

She smiled at him. "That's good to know," she said with a small laugh. Damon tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm going to help you get home, Elena," he said, his eyes intense, "I promise." She smiled a bit and leaned into his touch. "There's no rush; I'm surprisingly happy right here. More happy then I've been in years, actually."

He smiled. "I'm glad."

Both of them looked at the door when it was suddenly opened even more, and Caroline stood in the doorway. She beamed when she noticed what was going on; Damon was touching Elena's cheek, and Elena was perfectly fine with it. It was adorable. "Sorry," Caroline giggled. "I was just going to ask you if I could borrow your laptop, Damon, but it looks like you're _busy…_"

Damon noticed the gleeful expression in her eyes and was reminded of their "conversation" earlier that afternoon.

_**Do you love her? **_

__Damon pulled his hand away and took a step back. "No, go ahead. It's fine."

Caroline walked across the room and grabbed Damon's computer, giving Elena a suspicious look before walking out again. Elena was blushing. She gave Damon a small smile. "I should go," she said, starting for the door. She paused when Damon grabbed her hand, stopping her, "Elena."

She turned back to him. "Yes?"

He pulled her a bit closer to him. "I really wish that you were going," he quietly said before softly kissing her hand. Elena smiled at him as he straightened up again, releasing her hand. She was blushing and smiling shyly at him. "Goodnight, Damon.

"Goodnight," he said and she turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door.

When she was gone, Damon put his face in his hands. _Damn it, _he thought. _Caroline is right; I…_

"I love her," he said quietly to his reflection in the mirror. To his surprise, the confession made him smile.

Little did he know, it made Caroline smile, too.

_Phase one complete, _she thought to herself as she entered her bedroom.


	9. Unexpected Guests

"Well… isn't this interesting?"

Outside the boarding house, Katherine sat on the branch of a tree, examining the situation playing out for her through the window she was watching. This _certainly _wasn't what she had been expecting when she sent Elena to Mystic Falls. She had expected the girl to be murdered in her first night. She hadn't expected for some charming vampire to continuously rescue the stupid girl. Now, not only was he her savior, it appeared that the odd little couple was; Katherine repressed a gag and a shudder; _falling in love. _

The foolish girl who was her carbon copy didn't deserve happiness. She had tried to steal her Stefan away, and that meant _war. _Happiness was not allowed to be an option for this _Elena _girl.

Katherine chuckled as she watched the black haired man touch Elena's cheek softly with a gloved hand. Waving her own flawless hand in the air, she produced a glowing emerald pendant out of thin air, twirling the chain around her finger a few times as she watched things play out in the house.

_What to do with her… _Katherine mused as she watched them. From what she had seen, their romance was a lost cause; the boy had a vixen vampire for a girlfriend, and if Elena tried to steal him away, the vampire woman would kill her. But where was the fun in that? No, a murder would be too simple now… she needed something better. A spell of some sorts…

As she watched the couple inside, an idea began to form in her mind. From what the man was wearing, it appeared that they were going to be attending some sort of fairy tale ball. In every fairy tale, the witch does something unspeakable to the fair princess…

Katherine chuckled as she figured out the perfect spell to put on Elena. Or, rather, the perfect _curse. _As she watched Elena walk out of the bedroom, she began to whisper a curse, and the emerald in her hand began to glow brighter and brighter with power. "To steal from another is vile and low, to steal from another causes hatred to grow. Punishment is called for, a necessary trial; make it so the girl shan't walk another mile. Use power from the moon, and power from the sand; make her fall into a sleep at my command. Sleep she shall until the clock strikes twelve; for when the clock strikes twelve, _she shall be rotting in hell._"

The emerald glowed a vibrant red as the spell took toll, and then returned to its original state. Katherine chuckled again and produced a thin black velvet box, laying the necklace inside. Now just to find someone to convince the girl to put it on…

Katherine's brown eyes shifted toward the room beside Damon's curiously for a moment. From what she had gathered a girl lived with the vampire. Another vampire; _a vampire who had developed a close friendship with Elena. _

Katherine chuckled; the situation would be perfect. She would allow Stefan and that foolish girl's little brother to enter Mystic Falls tomorrow morning; the day of the ball. Stefan would take Elena to the party, and _the girl would give Elena the necklace as a going away present. _

Little did she know, once the necklace touched Elena's throat, she would not being going away. Never again would she be going away; she would be dead.

Giggling, Katherine leapt daintily from the branch, turning to a black mist before she hit the ground and slithering up the side of the house, sliding in through the crack under Caroline's window.

… . … . … . … . …

Caroline shut her bedroom door, giggling with excitement. It had happened; Damon _loved her! _Not Rebekah or some other snob, he loved _Elena! _Grinning, Caroline turned around to start for her bed.

She gasped in surprise when she did so. "Elena? What are you doing in here?"

Elena sat, poised on Caroline's bed, smiling. "Oh, I just wanted to… talk."

Caroline frowned in confusion as she sat beside her; how had she beaten her to her room? She had just been with Damon… "Uh… sure. What did you want to talk about?"

Elena smiled when Caroline sat beside her. "Well… I have a feeling that Stefan is going to get here tomorrow and take me home."

Caroline frowned. "A feeling? What do you mean…?"

Elena shrugged. "Call it love intuition."

Caroline's face fell. So, Elena still loved that guy from her home town. If Elena didn't love Damon, too… "Do you really have to go?"

Elena nodded. "I do. People need me at home."

Caroline looked down, unable to believe it. "Well, how can you be so sure you're going home? It's not like your _intuition _is exact…"

"_Mind be mine,_" Elena whispered and Caroline looked up in confusion. "What…?"

Her eyes glazed over in a trance when Elena waved her hands, grinning. Elena smiled. "Much better. Now, tomorrow morning, Stefan Edwards is going to arrive here with Elena's little brother. He's going to want to take her home, but Elena will likely beg him to take her to the ball. Knowing how much of a sap he is, he'll agree. _You _are going to beg Elena's little brother to take you."

Caroline nodded and the woman, who clearly was not really Elena, waved her hands again, causing an authentic yellow and gold dress to materialize out of colored smoke. "You can wear this."

Caroline nodded again. "Oh, one more thing," the woman pulled a black velvet box out of her pocket. "Make sure you give this to Elena tomorrow night," she smiled, "as a going away present."

Caroline nodded yet again, accepting the box. The woman giggled. "Good."

Caroline blinked a few times, frowning. "Who are you…?"

The woman smiled. "My name is Katherine Pierce; but you're going to forget that."

Caroline nodded and, a second later, all that was left where Katherine had been was black smoke. A few more seconds later, even that was gone. Caroline blinked a few times in confusion, glancing at the box in her hands and the dress lay out beside her. Shaking her head, unsure of what she had just been doing, she picked both of them up and placed them in her closet. After all, she couldn't risk anything happening to them before tomorrow night's ball.

… . … . … . … . …

The next morning Elena woke up, a bit confused when she smelled and heard the sizzling of bacon down stairs. She sat up and slid out of bed, quickly getting dressed and heading downstairs into the kitchen. She found Damon standing at the oven, scrambling eggs and cooking bacon. He grinned, not needing to turn around. "Good morning, Elena."

She was frowning in confusion as she walked over to stand beside him. "You're making breakfast?" she asked and he nodded, smiling at her. "I haven't exactly been an excellent host the past few days; I haven't even _fed _you."

She grinned. "Don't worry; I wasn't starving. Caroline fed me."

He chuckled. "Well Caroline doesn't know how to make gourmet scrambled eggs now, does she?"

Elena giggled as she sat at the table and Damon passed her a plate. He sat across from her, eating his own breakfast and grinning at her surprised expression. "You eat… ordinary food?" she asked and he laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't mention that the other day when I was stealing your French fries."

She shrugged. "I guess I never really thought about it."

He grinned and shrugged. "As long as we keep a healthy diet of blood in our system, our bodies function pretty normally. Which means," he waggled his fork at her, "eggs still taste incredible. At least they do when I'm the one cooking them. Caroline, on the other hand," he grinned, "couldn't burn toast."

Elena laughed as she took a bite of her own breakfast. Her eyes widened a bit as she swallowed. "So, he writes songs for famous artists _and _he can cook. What else haven't you been telling me?"

He considered this. "Well, I happen to be a phenomenal dancer," his smile slipped a bit. "Which, you wouldn't know since you _aren't going…_"

She grinned at him. "Don't pout, Damon; it's unattractive on a man your age."

His eyes widened and his grin returned. "Ho ho! Pretty _and _witty; I never would have guessed."

She blushed a bit and continued to eat her breakfast; he had just said that he thought she was pretty. Was he just being polite… or did he really mean it?

Caroline walked in, looking unhappy as she grabbed a box of cereal out of a cabinet. "The Queen Bitch is here," she said coldly as she snagged a carton of milk as well. Seconds later the door opened a few rooms over, and Rebekah's voice filled the echoing house. "Damon! I need you to come look at me dress; if we clash, I'll kill you."

Damon's smile disappeared and he stood up, starting for the door. He gave Elena a small smile before he walked out, though. "Feel free to eat my eggs," he chuckled as he walked out of the room.

"_Damon!_"

"I'm coming!" he called in irritation.

Caroline put her bowl of cereal down on the table, taking Damon's seat and glaring as she shoved a spoon full into her mouth. Elena raised an eyebrow. "Someone isn't a morning person, I take it?"

Caroline shook her head. "It's _her; _I can't stand her. Look, I know you think you were doing Damon a favor, getting them back together and all; but you didn't."

Elena frowned in confusion. "What do you mean…?"

Caroline shook her head and just kept eating.

"_Oh, my God; you aren't really planning on wearing that in public, are you?_"

Rebekah could be heard razzing Damon out on the floor above them. She was so loud even Elena could hear.

"_Yes, I am! It isn't my fault that my suit doesn't match your hideous dress!_"

"_Hideous? Are you blind, you cave man? It's gorgeous! Clearly, you have no taste."_

_ "Rebekah, I swear, if you don't shut up…!_"

Caroline heaved a sigh, "_That _is exactly what I mean."

Elena frowned, and winced when she heard a door slam above and the clicking of Rebekah's heals stomping down the stairs. "Where are you going?" Caroline spat, not even trying to mask her despise for her anymore. Rebekah rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go find a better suit for Damon."

Caroline glared. "The one he has is amazing, and he's going to wear it no matter what piece of shit you find him."

Rebekah glared. "We'll see," she glanced out the window. "Someone's here."

With that she walked out the door, leaving it wide open. The sounds of two car doors opening and shutting caused Caroline and Elena to frown. Elena gasped in surprise when she saw Jeremy and Stefan walk in. "Hello?" Stefan called.

"Oh, my God," Elena whispered, hiding behind the wall separating the two rooms.

Caroline frowned. "You know them?"

Elena nodded urgently. "That's my brother, Jeremy, _and Stefan Edwards!_"

Caroline's eyes widened. "You're joking. You have to be joking!"

"Hello?" Stefan called again. "Elena?" Jeremy yelled and they heard a door open on the floor above them. Damon could be heard walking down the stairs to meet them. "Uh… what are you doing in my house?" he asked, frowning at them.

"Is Elena Gilbert here?" Stefan asked him and Damon's eyes widened a bit. "You've got to be kidding me…" he whispered in disbelief. Stefan frowned. "What?"

"You're him, aren't you? That guy she was talking about in the park. And you," he pointed at Jeremy, "are the little brother she was so worried about."

Jeremy's eyes widened. "So she's here? My sister is here? Where is she? Elena!"

Damon looked around, a bit confused that she hadn't come running out yet. "Elena?" he called, "There's… some people here to see you."

Back in the kitchen, Elena sighed and walked out of the room with Caroline on her heals. As soon as Jeremy saw his sister he beamed and rushed forward, hugging her. "Thank God you're okay! Do you know how crazy worried I've been?"

She bit her lip. "I'm so sorry, Jer."

Stefan beamed at her. "Elena!" he cried, rushing forward to hug her. However, she didn't get overly excited and run into his arms. He frowned in confusion. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"What?" she asked, and then bit her lip. "Oh. Yeah, of course I am," she said with a small smile. He frowned. "You don't look it."

She glanced quickly at Damon, and then back to Stefan. "I just… how did you find me?"

"It doesn't matter," Stefan beamed. "All that matters is that we found you! We would have been here sooner, but it took a bit longer to get here from Mystic Falls than I thought it would."

She gave him a small smile. "It's alright; I've been taken care of right here."

Stefan nodded. "I see. Well, are you ready to go home?"

Elena's eyes widened; home? Go home, the night of the ball? Without seeing Damon get his happily ever after? Sure, Caroline seemed convinced he wasn't happy with Rebekah, but that could just be because she didn't like her. "Actually, Stefan… well, you see, there's… there's this ball…"

"A ball?" he asked in confusion, and then he laughed. "You mean like an actual ball? Like in a freaking Disney movie?"

Elena bit her lip and nodded. "Well… yeah. I was sort of hoping… well, now that you're here, that maybe we could… go? Together?"

He frowned. "Elena, you've been missing for nearly a week; people are worried back home. We can't just stay away to go to some silly party."

She frowned. "Please, Stefan? It would be so much fun…"

He stared at her hopeful expression, and continued to frown. "I don't have anything to wear."

She smiled. "You could go shopping today and buy something for tonight! Oh, please, Stefan?"

He continued to think about it for a few moments, and then he sighed. "If you really want to go…"

Elena beamed, and Damon grinned; so, Elena would get to go, after all. His smile slipped a bit as he thought, _With her prince charming… _

Caroline suddenly looked at Jeremy, and grinned a bit. For a sixteen year old, he was pretty cute. "We should go together," she blurted out and he looked up at her. "What?" he chuckled. "You wanna go _with me?_"

She shrugged. "Why not? You're pretty cute, and I wanted to go but had no one to go with. It would be fun…" she prodded and Jeremy grinned; what were the chances of a cute blonde wanting to go to some dance with him? Suddenly, Elena getting kidnapped seemed like fate. "Awesome!" he said and Caroline clapped in excitement.

Stefan glanced at Damon and Caroline. "So… who are you two, exactly?"

Damon extended his hand, grinning. "Damon Salvatore," he said and Stefan shook his hand. As soon as he did though, he recoiled. "Oh, my God," he said, his eyes wide. "You're… you're a…"

Damon eyes widened. "Relax; we aren't going to eat you."

Stefan turned to look at Elena. "Do you know what they are?"

Elena nodded, a bit confused. "Yes… but how do you?"

He frowned. "Call it a sixth sense. I've studied vampires my entire life…"

"Vampires?" Jeremy gasped. "Dude, you told me this place was crawling with vampires, but you didn't say my sister was _with _them…!"

"Jeremy, it's okay," Elena assured him. "If it wasn't for Damon, I'd be dead right now."

Jeremy turned his wide eyes to Damon. "What…?"

"I saved her from one of the town's more sadistic vampires the night she got here," Damon explained and Jeremy immediately relaxed; anyone who would save his sister couldn't be that bad. "Oh," he said.

Elena glanced at Stefan. "This isn't a problem, is it?"

Stefan shook his head. "No… no, I guess not."

She smiled. "Good; then you and Jeremy need to go get your costumes for tonight."

Stefan sighed; he had a feeling he was going to regret this… "Fine. But we leave as soon as it's over. It isn't safe here, Elena."

Elena didn't agree with his statement, but knew it was the best she was going to get. "Alright," she agreed. Stefan turned to Jeremy. "Let's go, Jeremy."

Elena watched them go, and Caroline whirled on her, beaming when they were gone. "Come on," she squealed in excitement, "We have to get ready!"

Elena frowned in confusion. "Don't you need to buy a dress...?" Caroline grinned, "I'm always prepared for this kind of stuff, Elena."

Caroline drug Elena upstairs, and Damon watched them go. Little did Elena knew that his heart was being ripped to pieces at the thought of her leaving as soon as the ball was over. It was going to be hell enough if he was with Rebekah, but the idea of losing Elena as soon as it was over was enough to end him.


	10. Party Poopers

_**A/N: Might I just say, I don't even ship Jeroline. I just kind of had to put Caroline with someone at the ball... yet, the ship is growing on me. I think cute things could occure... but don't get me wrong! I'm still a die hard, loyal Klaroline shipper. Anyway, now that I've gotten that off my chest... enjoy!**_

"This had better be a good party, or I'm going to be very upset," Rebekah said as she stood, dressed in an authentic 1822 pink ball gown with lace and numerous frills, in the lobby of the city's biggest hotel. Damon stood beside her in the suit he had originally picked, having refused to wear Rebekah's "replacement". Caroline and Jeremy were with them as well, Caroline wearing the yellow and gold dress Katherine had left for her, with Jeremy in a less authentic 19th century suit remake.

"You get upset about everything, Rebekah…" Damon muttered and she shot him a glare. "What's your problem lately?" she snapped. "You've been nothing but rude to me for the past week."

Damon shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Let's just go inside," he said, starting forward with the crowd into the ballroom. Several couples were already dancing, and Jeremy awkwardly put his hands in his pockets, leaning back and forth. "Uh," he said to Caroline, blushing a bit. "Do you want to… dance…?"

She smiled brilliantly and grabbed his hand. "Of course!"

They disappeared into the crowd and Rebekah turned to Damon. "Well? Aren't you going to ask me to dance?"

He offered her his hand and they walked out onto the dance floor, beginning to dance better than any of the other guests, seeing as though they had actual experience with the dance being done. Jeremy and Caroline, both who happened to be awful dancers, were doing their best not to trip over each other's feet.

"I'm sorry; I'm awful at this," Jeremy said, blushing. Caroline laughed. "Hey, you're talking to a girl who hasn't left her house more than four times in over a year; I don't have any more experience here than you do."

Jeremy was interested in the girl before him. "So, how long have you been a… you know…?"

Caroline smiled at him. "It happened last October. If Damon hadn't taken me in, I would probably be dead right now."

Jeremy's eyes widened a bit. "Oh… I'm sorry…"

She shook her head, smiling curiously. "Don't be. I'm just happy to be with a guy who isn't scared of me, and doesn't think I'm dead. Well, technically I am dead, but my ex-boyfriend thinks I… died… never mind," she said, biting her lip.

To her surprise, Jeremy burst into laughter. She frowned. "What's so funny?"

He shook his head, his eyes still laughing. "I'm sorry, it's just… you aren't what I expected a vampire to be like."

She glanced coldly at Rebekah, who was dancing with her head held high with Damon. "Yeah, well, not all of us are super bitches like Bekey over there."

"Yeah, what's her deal?"

Caroline shook her head. "I don't know, and I really don't care. This is the first time I've been to a party in over a year, and I intend to enjoy it," she said and smiled at Jeremy. "I don't think that should be too hard so long as I'm with you."

Jeremy blushed as he continued to whirl her around.

Back on the other side of the room, Damon was still dancing with Rebekah, looking very bored. That is, until something caught his eye. He abruptly stopped mid-dance, much to Rebekah's irritation. "What are you doing?" she snapped, but he wasn't paying any attention to her. His eyes were focused on the grand staircase, which Elena had just appeared at the top of with Stefan. He stared in awe as she descended in a gorgeous deep purple dress, with lilac accents. It appeared to be entirely made of silk, and the skirt was tastefully puffed, unlike Rebekah's hundreds of skirts. Her sleeves fell of her shoulders, and her normally pin straight hair was curled and falling down her back and over her shoulders. Damon smiled softly at her, and Rebekah turned in irritation, her eyes widening when she caught sight of Elena and Stefan. "What is _she _doing here?" she snapped, starting forward. Damon grabbed her arm and shook his head, holding her back. "Don't…" he whispered, not tearing his eyes away from Elena. "Don't ruin this for her."

Rebekah glared at him, and Elena and Stefan walked up to the pair. Stefan smiled politely at Rebekah, who smiled back.

"You must be the Rebekah I've heard so much about," he said, taking her hand and kissing it. She put on a very forced smile. "All good things, I hope," she said. "Of course," Stefan replied.

Elena was smiling at Damon, extremely glad he hadn't let Rebekah talk him out of wearing the suit she loved on him so much. He had just opened his mouth to speak to her when Stefan interrupted him. "There's Jeremy with Caroline," he said, pointing across the ballroom. Elena followed his gaze and smiled when she saw how well Jeremy and Caroline seemed to be getting along. "We should go say hello," she agreed, allowing Stefan to lead her away. Damon gazed after her yearningly, and Rebekah's frown returned. "Dance with me," she said. It was clear it wasn't a question, and Damon emotionlessly complied.

"Hey guys," Elena said when she and Stefan reached Caroline and Jeremy. Jeremy's eyes widened when he saw his sister. "Elena… wow. You look… wow," he said, and Caroline rolled her eyes. "Just tell her she looks beautiful!" she encouraged and Jeremy blushed. "You look beautiful, 'Lena," he said and she smiled at her brother. "Thanks, Jer; you look rather dapper yourself. You two seem to be getting along well," she observed. Caroline grinned. "You're little brother is much cooler than I thought her would be," she said and Jeremy grinned. "Well, you're not so bad yourself," he said.

The four of them glanced at the stage across the ballroom when an elderly woman with curly grey hair stood at a microphone. "Hello everyone, and welcome," she said and a hush fell over the crowd. "It is my pleasure to announce that we have raised $1,400 for the Children's Hospital," she said and several people clapped politely. "Also, I'm very proud to announce that it is time for the King's and Queen's waltz. For those of you who are new to our event, this means that you must go find someone to dance with who is not your escort. Enjoy your night!"

A slow, romantic song began to play throughout the ballroom and the lights were lowered.

"May I have this dance?" Stefan asked Caroline and she giggled, taking his hand.

"I'm going to go ask Rebekah if she wants to dance," Jeremy said, walking over to the very irritated looking girl who now stood alone across the ballroom. Elena had a strong impulse to tell Jeremy to be careful, but kept her mouth shut.

Awkwardly, Elena glanced around at the now dancing couples surrounding her. Elena blushed when numerous people gave her peculiar looks.

"May I have this dance, Miss Gilbert?"

Elena turned around to find Damon standing behind her with a silk glove covered hand extended toward her. She smiled and took his hand. "Of course you may," she said and he led her into the center of the dance floor, placing a hand on her waist. Elena placed one on his shoulder and took his hand.

"Ah, ah, ah," Damon chided at her bent elbow. "That isn't how they danced in the 19th century," he explained, straightening their arms before he began to whirl her around with almost shocking grace. Elena smiled brilliantly at him. "You _are _good at this," she giggled and he grinned. "I told you so…"

His smile softened as he looked at her. "You look stunning," he said sincerely and she blushed a bit. "Thank you," she said, and her eye lids fluttered in that adorable way that Damon loved. "You look very handsome," she observed. "I'm glad you decided to wear your suit, after all."

"I didn't plan on not wearing it, no matter what Rebekah thinks," he said and Elena frowned a bit. "Why?" she asked, and he smiled softly. "Because this is the one that you liked," he said and she smiled. As the tempo in the song increased, Damon began doing more complicated steps, guiding her along the floor incredibly well. Numerous people had stopped dancing to watch the pair, awestricken by how well they danced together.

"Do you trust me?" Damon suddenly asked her and she nodded. "Yes. Why?"

"Just tell me if you trust me," he said.

"I trust you," she assured him, and gasped a bit in surprise when he suddenly lifted her off of her feet, twirling her in the air a few times before sweeping her back into his arms. She beamed at him and he grinned. He twirled her around a few more times when someone suddenly tapped him on his shoulder.

He turned and frowned when he found Rebekah standing behind him. "Jeremy had to use the washroom," she said. "You'll dance with me, won't you?"

Damon frowned, tossing Elena a glance. "I can't just leave Elena…"

"It's alright," Stefan was suddenly there, too. "She'll dance with me."

Damon shot Elena one last glance before he hesitantly let her go, giving her hand a squeeze before doing so. Rebekah linked her arm through his, leading him away, and his fingers brush one last time with Elena's before he was pulled into the crowd and couldn't see her anymore.

"We need to go," Stefan suddenly said, pulling her toward the stairs.

Elena frowned. "Why?" she asked. "It's early…"

"I told you that we would come, but we really need to go; it's a long drive back to Fell's Church."

Elena scanned the crowd for Damon, dismayed when she couldn't find him. "Damon…" she whispered and Stefan sighed. "Elena, I know that you care about him, but we really don't have time to go say goodbye to everyone. Besides, it will only make it harder for you to leave, won't it?"

Elena looked at the floor, but allowed Stefan to lead her away and up the staircase. "Wait here," he told her as they stood on the balcony overlooking the ballroom. "I need to go find Jeremy."

Elena nodded, catching sight of Damon dancing with Rebekah. She wished more than anything to still be in his arms, with him twirling her gracefully around the room. For a moment, before Rebekah interrupted, she had thought that perhaps he was going to kiss her. But that was foolish… it was foolish to think it, and foolish to want it.

But… she did.

"I'm really going to miss you, you know," Caroline said, suddenly appearing at Elena's side. Elena smiled at her. "I'm going to miss you, too, Caroline. You're the closest thing I've ever really had to a best friend."

Caroline wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. "You'll visit us, won't you? Me and Damon?"

Elena glanced out at the dancers again, catching Damon's eye. He smiled at her and she smiled back. "Absolutely," she whispered.

"Before you go, I want to give you something," Caroline said and Elena turned to look at her. "What do you mean?" she asked.

From inside her small clutch purse, Caroline pulled a thin velvet black box. "It's just a little something Damon and I got for you to remember us by," she said, opening the box to reveal a gorgeous emerald pendant. Elena gasped in a stunned breath. "Caroline, it's beautiful… you really didn't have to…"

"Oh, we know; we wanted to. Damon more than me. He really wants you to remember him, Elena," Caroline said and Elena bit her lip.

"Here," Caroline said, taking the necklace out of its box. "Let me," she said and Elena smiled softly, turning to let her put it on. She watched Damon dance with Rebekah, wondering what kinds of jewels he bought his actual girlfriend. Elena frowned when the gem touched her breastbone, suddenly feeling a bit faint. "Oh… I don't feel… so good…" she said, putting a hand to her head and clutching the railing of the balcony. As soon as Caroline fastened the chain around Elena's neck, she dropped to the floor in a mound of purple silk and brown curls, unconscious. Caroline, trancelike, didn't even move.

"Good work, Caroline."

Katherine suddenly appeared from the shadows, grinning like a minx. "I'll take it from here."


	11. Strange Turns of Events

_**A/N: A few people reviewed and sent me questions after I posted the last chapter, so I'm going to clear a few things up before you read this (this isn't the last chapter, by the way); 1. Damon and Katherine don't know each other. Stefan and Damon aren't brothers in this story, so only Stefan met her before all of this took place. 2. Stefan is not a vampire; he knows so much about them because Katherine, being a super natural entity, taught him everything she knows. 3. Any characters who we have not seen yet likely will not be brought into the story. What with this being a parody, I simply replaced the movies characters with TVD characters who somewhat matched their personalities. (We'll just ignore the fact that Caroline is replacing an eleven year old girl who would technically be Damon's daughter...) 4. Yes, Rebekah is technically still an Original; it was just never necessary to mention the fact in the story. If you assumed it, great; if not, it really wouldn't matter. Everything (hopefully) would still make sense. 5. Yes, I might consider writing a sequel if enough people ask for it; I also have to write a sequel for "Elena's Day" so it may take a while to show up, but I'm definately considering it. Especially with the way everything works out in the end... **_

_**I'm hoping that clears up any confusion you all may have had; if not, feel free to ask me anything! I have no problem with answering your questions (as long as they're story related... don't get any creepy ideas, guys!) XOXO- Charlie'sLostVampire**_

_**Previously in "Enchanted"…**_

_As soon as Caroline fastened the chain around Elena's neck, she dropped to the floor in a mound of purple silk and brown curls, unconscious. Caroline, trancelike, didn't even move._

_ "Good work, Caroline."_

_ Katherine suddenly appeared from the shadows, grinning like a minx. "I'll take it from here."_

… . … . … . … . …

Caroline nodded and had begun to walk away when Katherine, who had been dragging Elena toward the stairs, suddenly hissed and grabbed Caroline's arm; Stefan and Jeremy were coming. "She fainted," Katherine whispered to the poor girl who was being forced to do whatever she said.

Katherine evaporated into smoke, and Caroline sprang into action. "Stefan!" she screeched. "Jeremy! Oh, it's awful; she just dropped…"

Stefan and Jeremy ran forward when they saw Elena lying on the floor. "Oh, my God!" Jeremy gasped, crouching by his sister. Caroline sniffled pitifully. "It could be the corset from the dress… maybe it was too tight…"

"Move," Stefan told Caroline and Jeremy, pushing past them and scooping Elena up, contemplating what to do next. Finally, he decided it would be best to interrupt the festivities and see if there was a doctor in the building. "Help!" he shouted over the music, rushing to stand at the top of the stairs. "Help, someone; Elena fainted…!"

Damon, who had been dancing dully with Rebekah, perked up curiously when he heard the word _Elena _echo through the ballroom. It had sounded like that dishwater drab boyfriend of hers…

Turning his head to the top of the stairs, Damon's eyes widened in horror. "Elena," he breathed, dropping Rebekah's arms and pushing past her, running for the stairs, shoving other people out of his way. "Elena!" he cried as he rushed up the stairs and to their side. "What the hell happened?" he asked, horrified at how still and pale she was in Stefan's arms.

"I don't know; Caroline said she just dropped. I was looking for Jeremy…"

Damon spotted a red velvet antique couch across the balcony and rushed over, pulling it to where Stefan stood so that he could lie Elena down. Damon thought he might be sick, and that was something he hadn't felt in a very long time.

Rebekah had followed him up the stairs, annoyed at yet another interruption of their evening by Elena Gilbert. Hadn't she made it perfectly clear to that girl to steer clear of anything Damon related? It was as she was thinking this, glaring at Elena's unconscious form that she noticed it; the necklace. The pendant seemed to be giving off a slight green glow, and Rebekah's eyes narrowed as her frown deepened. "Who gave that to her?" she asked sharply, pointing to the necklace.

Caroline, confused and worried, stepped up. "I did. It was supposed to be a gift…"

"It's been cursed, you dimwit!" Rebekah snapped, tearing the chain from Elena's neck. As soon as she did, it turned to black smoke and slipped through her fingers. The group of people around them gasped in surprise and Rebekah glared at them all. "_Go away; continue with your party as though nothing is going on," _she said, sending out a burst of power strong enough to compel every human in the room. Jeremy and Stefan both started to walk away but Rebekah grabbed their arms. "_Stay." _

Stefan, not wanting to believe the truth, asked Rebekah, "How did you know it was cursed?"

She rolled her eyes. "My mother was a witch. She taught me the basics of recognizing spells; typically, glowing pendants is a dead giveaway."

Stefan blushed a bit and stopped talking.

Damon ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Who would want to curse her?" he asked, clutching the back of the couch as his blue eyes refused to leave Elena.

Stefan could deny it no longer. "Katherine," he said, and everyone but Jeremy frowned in confusion; Jeremy went a few shades paler as he began to understand.

"Who's Katherine?" Damon snapped.

"Katherine was my girlfriend in high school… she was a witch. A witch with a very strong ability to hold a grudge… she swore I would never be happy with a girl unless it was with her. I guess this is her keeping her word."

Damon's grip on the couch tightened. "This is _your _fault?" he snapped, very tempted to rip Stefan's throat out. Meekly, Stefan nodded. "It looks like it… for some reason, Elena looks exactly like her, too; I suppose only Katherine would know why that is, though."

"Well how the hell do we break the curse?" Damon yelled, holding the couch so tightly that he snapped a piece off. Glaring he tossed it aside, sending it clattering across the floor.

All of their heads snapped up when feminine chuckling filled the balcony. Black smoke was materializing, and Stefan gulped. "It's her," he croaked. Katherine took form, a cruel smile on her lips. "Stefan, darling; how have you been?"

"What have you done, Katherine?" Stefan snapped and she grinned. "Oh, relax; I just put her to sleep."

Damon found himself stalking viciously toward the witch. "What the hell did you do, you bitch?" he spat at her and she raised an eyebrow. "A feisty little vampire, aren't you? Why do you care so much?"

"_What did you do?"_

Katherine sighed and shook her head. "Vampires are no fun… alright, I'll tell you; but it won't do you much good now."

"_Tell us what you did!_"

Everyone looked at Damon, who was beginning to look a bit psychotic. His eyes were wild and he looked ready to pounce at any second if Katherine didn't start talking.

"It's an eternal sleep spell…"

Caroline snorted. "An eternal sleep spell? Like in a Disney movie? What are we, five?"

Katherine glared at her. "Don't speak too soon, Blondie; you were all too easy to manipulate into putting that necklace on her in the first place."

Caroline shrunk back and Katherine continued talking. "As foolish as it may sound, it is similar to a fairy tale; the only loophole is _true love's first kiss. _But… it has to be done before midnight, which is…" Katherine glanced at the clock in the ballroom below, "in one minute."

Stefan rushed over to Elena's side, crouching by the couch. "I'll wake you up, Elena," he whispered, and Damon looked away when he kissed her. Katherine watched with interest as Stefan pulled away; nothing happened. "How long does it take?" he found himself asking her. Katherine shrugged. "Try it again," she said.

Stefan kissed Elena again; and again, and again, and again; nothing happened.

Jeremy swallowed roughly as the seconds quickly ticked by. "Why isn't she waking up?" he squeaked.

Stefan frowned and looked up, his eyes locking with Damon's. "It's because I'm not her true love," he said, his voice dripping with envy.

Damon's eyes widened. "You can't be serious…!"

"Thirty seconds, if anyone cares," Katherine said, watching with giddy excitement as time was wasted.

"Were you totally out of it all night?" Stefan snapped. "During that dance? She adores you!" he glanced at the clock; twenty seconds. "Kiss her!"

Damon didn't know what to do. "I… I can't…" he said.

"Kiss her."

He looked up to find Rebekah looking somber, but truthful. "It's alright, Damon; just kiss her."

"But…"

"Kiss her!" Jeremy screamed as the final ten seconds began to roll. Seeing no other option, but unable to believe it was true, Damon took Stefan's place crouching by Elena and brushed a curl out of her face. Without a word he shut his eyes and bent his head, kissing her cool, pale lips. As he kissed her, the clock chimed midnight and everyone held their breath. Even Katherine was a bit interested to see what would happen.

Damon pulled away and gazed down at Elena's pale face, begging her internally to wake up. Seconds ticked by with no response from her. Damon felt tears filling his eyes, and they slowly trailed over. He buried his face in her chest, not wanting the others to see him cry. "Wake up, Elena," he whispered, begging her. "You have to wake up…"

Suddenly, he feels her chest begin to rise beneath him and he looks up, his blue eyes locking with her brown ones as they fluttered open, her long lashes casting shadows on her cheeks. "Damon…?"

"Oh, thank God," he whispered, stroking her cheek. She smiled and leaned into his touch. "What happened?" she asked weakly. "Did I get attacked by another vampire?"

"No," Damon said, his expression becoming disgusted as he turned to glare at Katherine. "Not a vampire."

Katherine giggled. "Aw; the vengeful lover. Go ahead; take a swing, lover boy."

Damon stood up, glaring and breathing heavily. "You nearly killed her," he spat, feeling his fangs extend in fury.

"That was kind of the point," Katherine said, boredom clear on her face.

Damon hissed. "I'll kill you, you wicked little bitch!"

She raised an eyebrow. "I think you mean wicked little _witch._"

Damon made a furious sound and lunged forward at her. Elena squeaked in fear and sat up on the couch just as Katherine turned to smoke. Damon flew right through her and smashed into the wall, leaving a dent. He growled in fury as Katherine materialized before him again. "Two can play at that game, Vampy," she said and Damon stood again and started for her, faster this time. Katherine saw it coming, though, and turned into a rather menacing looking cloud of black smoke, flying at him as well. Everyone gasped and screamed in horror when Damon was flung through the window and fell three stories to the ground, glass shattering everywhere. The black smoke flew out after him and moved upward, out of sight. Elena fumbled to get off the couch, pushing the others out of her way and running for the window. "Damon!" she called as she stood before the broken glass, wind whipping her hair around her face.

He was lying on the side walk below, slowly sitting up and picking glass out of his limbs. He was swearing, and looked up when she called his name.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he said, grimacing when he yanked a large shard of glass from his leg.

"Don't move; I'm coming down!" Elena called to him, turning and starting for the stairs.

"Elena, it isn't safe," Stefan cautioned, grabbing her arm. "Witches and vampires; you could get hurt. Just let them fight it out on their own."

Elena glared and pulled her arm away. "_Let them fight it out on their own? _Stefan, he saved my life three times since I got here; I can't just leave him down there with that psycho!" Elena gulped. "That psycho who looks exactly like me. Why does she look like me, Stefan?"

Stefan shook his head. "I don't know. But you can't go…"

"I'm going, and you can't stop me!" she snapped, dashing for the stairs.

"Elena, wait!" Caroline called, rushing after her. "I'm coming with you."

"As am I," Rebekah said, following after them. Jeremy started to follow, too, but Stefan held him back. "Jeremy, it isn't safe…!"

"My sister is going down there, Stefan!" Jeremy snapped, pulling away. He glanced at the stairwell curiously. "Caroline is going down there. I have to go." He rushed down the stairs and Stefan groaned, left with no choice but to follow as well.

When he reached the lobby, he saw Elena rushing for the glass doors with Caroline, Rebekah, and Jeremy in pursuit. However, when she flung the door open, she froze.

Damon, who had been sitting up pulling the last few chinks of glass from his arm, frowned when she didn't finish exiting the building. "Elena?" he asked in confusion. "What's the matter?"

She was pale and frozen as she gaped forward; Katherine had reappeared soundlessly behind Damon, and had a cruel smile on her lips. From thin air she produced a thick, jagged looking stake, grinning suggestively at Elena, glancing down at Damon. She pulled her arm back to begin her decent toward his heart and Elena screamed. "No!" she cried, dashing forward. Elena's quickness to react so rashly seemed to have caught Katherine a bit of guard and she paused, frowning. Her momentary distraction gave Elena enough time to reach them and lunge at Katherine's arm, shoving the stake backward. Katherine gave a hoarse gasp, her brown eyes wide in shock.

Protruding from her stomach was her own stake, and Katherine glared at Elena. "You little bitch…" she hissed, beginning to lunge at her. Before she could come in contact, however, she exploded into a massive storm of swirling black dust, causing Elena to lose her balance. She fell forward into Damon's arms and both of them fell to the pavement with a thud. The dust continued to swirl loudly around them and Damon pulled Elena's face into his chest, shielding her from the storm. Both squeezed their eyes shut and Damon buried his face in her curls to prevent the dust from targeting his own face. After a few terrifying moments, the dust stopped swirling and settled around them, merely black dirt of the pavement. Elena slowly moved her face from Damon's chest, glancing around. "Do you think she's… dead?"

Both of them jumped when there was a loud clap of thunder, half expecting Katherine to electrocute them both with some kind of lightning bolt curse. Instead, though, it started to pour around them and Elena gasped in surprise, watching what appeared to be left of Katherine trickle from the sidewalk into the storm drain.

Damon was shell shocked. "You… you saved my life," he whispered, gazing at her intensely. Elena blushed a bit. "Well… you saved me enough times over the past few days; I figured I owed you one."

Damon's eyes were wide with what nearly looked like fear. "She could have killed you, Elena!" he gasped out and her eyes grew sad. "I know… I know she could have. But she was going to kill you, Damon; if she killed you… it wouldn't matter if I was dead," the surprise of realizing the truth shined in her eyes and a small smile pulled at her lips. "I love you, Damon."

He continued to gape at her in surprise. "You… you what…?"

"I love you, Damon Salvatore," she said, smiling as the rain pounded down around them. "I thought I was in love with Stefan… but I'm not. _This _is what true love really is."

Normally, anything about _true love _made Damon gag with how impossibly cheesy it all seemed. But, coming from Elena's lips, they were the most beautiful words he had ever heard. "Oh, Elena," he said, grabbing her cheeks and pulling her lips to his in a passionate, searing kiss. Elena wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, the part of her that had always yearned for a fairy tale romance rejoicing as Damon knotted his fingers in her drenched curls, pulling her closer.

Back in the hotel lobby, Caroline squealed in excitement and clapped her hands. "Yes!" she cried, throwing her arms around Jeremy and giggling. Jeremy's eyes widened in surprise. "Uh…" he said and Caroline fluttered her lashes, looking down in embarrassment. "Sorry," she giggled and Jeremy grinned. "Aw, what the heck…" he said and bent down, kissing her as well. Rebekah made an exasperated noise; all the ooey gooey romance was sickening. Especially seeing as though the beginning of one of them unwillingly symbolized the ending of hers.

Jeremy pulled away from Caroline, blushing. "Sorry; I couldn't resist," he said and she giggled, hugging him and burying her face in his chest; finally, a guy she could be with. Someone who could make her happy again…

"How did she kill her?" Jeremy asked Stefan as Stefan gazed resentfully out at the kissing pair on the sidewalk in the rain. He turned his hazel eyes on Jeremy, who was blushing and grinning in a way Stefan hadn't seen before. "Katherine once told me that the only way to kill a witch was to use her own powers against her; I guess when Elena stabbed her with her own stake, it finished her off."

Jeremy nodded, grinning at how happy his sister looked. "I guess you must be happy; no more psycho ex trailing you."

"Yeah; I'm overjoyed," Stefan muttered, failing to mention the fact that happy was the last thing he felt right at that moment. He knew Rebekah would sympathise and turned to look at her. He frowned when he realized she wasn't standing beside him anymore. "Where did Rebekah go?" he asked and Jeremy shrugged.

"Who cares?" Caroline asked and Stefan sighed, deciding to go look around for her.

He wondered back up the stairs they had all rushed down from and found Rebekah sitting on the balcony floor in a heap of pink skirts, sniveling. "What are you doing?" he asked her and she glanced up at him, hastily wiping her eyes. "She forgot her shoe," Rebekah said somewhat resentfully, holding up the small purple pump.

Stefan knelt on the floor beside her and took the shoe from her hands; surprisingly, it made him angry, too. Elena hadn't cared enough about him to come running as soon as he arrived, but when something happened to this _Damon Salvatore _person, she was in such a hurry to get to him that she didn't even care she had lost her shoe. He looked back up at Rebekah, noticing the tears still leaking from her eyes. "He hurt you, didn't he?"

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Obviously; we've been together for over ten years! Everything fell apart when that little wench of your showed up. God; I told him he could kiss her to wake her up, but I never said he could do _that,_" she spat, referring to the kiss Damon and Elena were likely still engaged in below. Stefan snorted as he moved to sit more comfortably on the floor beside her. "You think you feel bad? I came here on some ridiculous rescue mission to bring Elena home, only to find out that, after my evil witch ex cursed her and my kiss didn't wake her up, she fell in love with someone else. That she fell in love with a _vampire._"

Rebekah frowned at him as she wiped her tears away again. "What's wrong with being in love with a vampire?" she asked defensively.

Stefan considered the girl sitting before her. She was certainly beautiful, in a slightly more obvious way that Katherine and Elena had been, with her blonde curly hair and blue eyes. She was strong willed and defensive and he liked that. Most of the other girls he had been with were insecure and needed his reassurance, but he knew Rebekah wouldn't; she was gorgeous, and she knew it. _She flaunted it. _

A grin tugged at his lips as he finally said, "Nothing. Nothing at all…" he noticed the silky white shoe poking out from beneath her dress and glanced at the shoe in his hand. As cheesy and pathetic as it seemed, this entire night seemed like something out of some twisted fairy tale. So, as long as he had the shoe, he might as well do it…

"May I?" he asked, gesturing to her shoe. She raised an eyebrow but shrugged. "I don't see why not."

She shifted her skirts to reveal her small, dainty foot and Stefan removed her shoe, tossing it aside and sliding on the purple pump. He grinned. "A perfect fit," he observed and Rebekah raised her other eyebrow in surprise. "Yeah… it is," she said, her eyes moving up to consider the human man before her. She found herself grinning. "You're an interesting person, Stefan Edwards," she said and he chuckled. "Thanks," he continued to look at her, and then grinned wider. "Do you want to get out of here? Go somewhere completely different, where you'll never have to look at your backstabbing boyfriend or my flakey sort of girlfriend ever again?"

Liking the way that sounded, Rebekah nodded and Stefan jumped up. He took her hand and helped her stand, and then the two dashed back down the stairs together. Jeremy and Caroline frowned when they saw them dashing for the doors. "Where are you two going?" Jeremy asked. "None of your business," Stefan snapped, grinning. "Tell your sister if I see her again, it will be too soon."

Rebekah grinned. "Feel free to tell Damon the exact same thing."

Jeremy and Caroline both frowned deeper. "There is no way in hell we're telling them that…!" Caroline began to say but Rebekah cut her off. "Oh, relax Barbie; tell them that we also wish them all the happiness in the world."

Stefan grinned and nodded, and then the pair dashed out the door.

Jeremy frowned as he watched them run down the road in the rain. "Well, that was… strange," he said and Caroline nodded. "Yeah…" suddenly, realization dawned on her and she beamed. "Oh, my God! The queen bitch is really gone! This is the best night _ever!_"

Jeremy chuckled as he gazed down at her. "Yeah… yeah, it is."

Caroline giggled and gave him another kiss.

Out on the sidewalk, Damon finally stood up. Elena began to stand, as well, but Damon beat her to the punch, sweeping her into his arms, soaked dress and all. She squealed in surprise and giggled. "What are you doing?" she asked and he grinned. "I can't let the fair lady walk home in this state; so I'm going to carry you."

Elena smiled and leaned over to kiss him again. When she pulled away, she leaned her forehead against his and looked into his beautiful blue eyes; the first thing she had noticed the first time he saved her. "I love you, Damon," she whispered and he smiled, giving her another quick kiss. "I love you, too," he said before he took off for the boarding house.


End file.
